Who Needs The Kyuubi! and other random ideas
by HighValour
Summary: Just random Naruto scenes and ideas that most likely won't become full fics. Random and sporadic updates. rated M in case of later ideas. If any of these ideas inspires you to write something, send me a link so I can read it.
1. Who Needs The Kyuubi? 1 of 2

_**This is an idea I had last night while on The Infamous Man's forum and is in response to my own fic idea of 'what if the Uchiha did something other then rebel'. This fic begins roughly two days before Shisui's death. It is a joke so please don't turn around and say something like 'The Uchiha didn't forge weapons' or 'the clans never had militias' in reviews.**_

_**Naruto **__**belongs to Masashi Kishimoto**_

_**XXXXX**_

XX Naka Shrine XX

Fugaku Uchiha sat listening as Shisui reported his first born son's every action to the clan. Itachi had lost faith in the clan, and the clan had lost faith in him.

"Thank you Shisui." Fugaku said as the young man finished his report. "Does anyone else wish to speak before we conclude this meeting?"

"Actually Sir," Shisui spoke up again. "I have."

"Go ahead." Fugaku sighed. He liked the kid, he really did. But Shisui had just spent the last fifteen minutes talking and Fugaku really wanted to end the meeting.

"It's in relation to the clan's coup d'etat." Shisui began, licking his dry lips. "I do not think it should occur."

This was met be a loud , collective groan and several people muttering 'not again'. Fugaku scanned the room wondering what they meant by 'not again'? He'd never heard anyone speak out against the plan. Leaning over slightly he whispered to the Elder seated to his right.

"Has Shisui spoken out before?"

"He keeps going on about something he heard about in the capital." Kagami Uchiha whispered back. "A way the civilian workers have of showing displeasure to their employer."

"And what has that got to do with our situation?" Fugaku enquired.

"He says that the Village is effectively the employer to all living within it." Came Kagami's tired reply.

"Okay Shisui, what is your idea?" Fugaku asked.

"We Strike!" He declared.

"That's what we plan to do." Fugaku yelled after a moments silence. Fugaku began to worry that the Mangekyo Sharingan eroded the mind as well it's user's sight. Well that would explain Madara's actions near the end of his reign as Clan Head.

"No, I mean an industrial strike." Shisui explained. "We stop working. The Uchiha clan refuses to do anything for Konoha or it's citizens until our demands are met."

"We stop working." Fugaku repeated slowly. "So what, we stop policing? The Hokage will just reform the Police Force under a different clan."

"He can't." Shisui said quickly. He was happy to share his more pacifistic plan. "The laws the Second Hokage brought in that made us the primary police force can only be changed via vote by his successor and all current Clan Heads. As long as you refuse to vote it can't be changed."

"Then he'll have the other clans start up their own militia like the Hyuuga have." Someone from the crowd pointed out. "They'll just take over."

"But a clan's militia can only operate inside that clan's lands." Someone else countered. "The majority of the village is civilian and so no militia can operate there."

"So he'll send in the ANBU." Inabi Uchiha pointed out from his place near the centre.

"Actually ANBU are not authorised to police the Village." Fugaku said, remembering a few times the ANBU had to inform him that they wished for certain citizens to be arrested to cover up the fact they were traitors. "They can only act as bodyguards to the Hokage, dignitaries from outside Konoha. They can act if they are investigating suspected treason or spy activity however."

"And policing isn't all we do. We run the best forges in the Village." Someone near the back spoke up. "We supply all the ninja equipment the ANBU use as well as the more expensive supply stores for the standard shinobi."

All to soon the entire clan was calling out the different types of goods or services the clan gave the Village. Many had even begun to point out what the short term effects of these being cut off would be. As he listened Fugaku began to smile, the clan literally had to do nothing to bring Konoha to it's knees.

"Okay, assuming we tried this idea of yours." Fugaku said, silencing the many voices that had been trying to out yell each other. "How do we get our demands across? How do we know they won't just attack us claiming it's treason?"

"Because treason is defined as 'The crime of betraying one's country'." Kagami said. "By attempting to kill the sovereign or overthrow the government for example... Like we planed to do. Not what we would be doing if we followed this idea."

"So how do we go about organising this strike?" Fugaku asked.

"Well first we have to vote." Shisui told the gathered clan. "If we receive a majority vote in favour of it then we go ahead to step two."

"Fine. All in favour of this instead of a coup?" Fugaku asked. Every hand rose into the air. "I guess we go with the strike, what next?"

"Then we need to organise when we strike." Shisui said. "We also need to let the Village know about two weeks in advance."

"How about two weeks from tomorrow?" Mikoto said. "It is the earliest we can strike from now."

"Then it's settled." Fugaku beamed. "Yashiro, draw up a statement declaring our intention to Strike. Print up several and post them around the boundary of the compound. I shall take a copy to the Hokage tomorrow. Shisui, you come too in case I have to explain any of this."

XX Hokage's Tower (The Next Day) XX

Fugaku and Shisui entered the tower at the crack of dawn. They waited for roughly fifteen minutes before the ANBU informed them they could enter the Hokage's office. Hiruzen Sarutobi looked up from the report he was reading and gave a grandfatherly smile.

"Fugaku. Shisui. To what do I owe this early morning visit?" He greeted.

"I have come to give you your two weeks notice." Fugaku informed him before handing over a sealed scroll.

"the Hokage opened the scroll and read:

_The Uchiha Strike begins at 0:00 hr, January 3rd _

_and shall continue until our demands are met!_

The Hokage head shot up so quickly he ended up giving himself whiplash. He found Shisui holding out his hand and offering a leaflet.

"Our reasons, plans and demands are contained within." He said, giving an apologetic smile.

With shaking hands the Hokage took the leaflet and began to read.

_**Why We Wouldn't Need The Kyuubi!**_

_Ever since that faithful day seven years ago when our home avoided total destruction you have been lied to! You have been lied to by the Hokage and his advisers. They claim that we, the Uchiha controlled the Kyuubi and ordered it to attack. We did not, for we have no need too. Since Konoha's founding we have been vital to it's operation. It is we who provide the highest quality weapons. It is we who provide the scrolls upon scrolls of jutsu stored in ANBU Headquarters. It is we who keep the streets of Konoha safe to walk and it is we who can bring this entire Village grinding to a halt._

_On January 3rd, we shall stop providing ALL SERVICES. The Uchiha Clan Is On Strike. There will be no new weapons supplied to ANBU or stores. There shall be no police force operating. There shall be no products sold or orders taken. Our Shinobi shall refuse to receive new missions or preform assignments._

_This shall be the case until our demands are met._

_One) An end to the hostility directed at us by the Village as a whole._

_Two) A public apology for said hostility_

_Three) A return of all deeds to Pre-Attack Uchiha owned land._

_Four) Compensation for said lands use since the Attack._

_Five) An end to the continued unofficial policy of refusing Uchiha applicants to the ANBU [as a concession we shall end the unofficial policy of favouring Uchiha applicants to the Military Police]_

_We are truly sorry it has come to this but you have forced out hand. We hope an end to this dispute can be reached as quickly as possible._

_Signed: Fugaku Uchiha, Clan Head._

"Good day, Lord Sarutobi." Fugaku said when the Hokage had finished reading. He then turned on his heel and left.

_**XXXXX**_

_**This is part one of two. It isn't much, just something I had in my head and wanted to put out there. The Elders and Danzo believe this to be a bluff or smokescreen to hide the planned Coup. Next chapter will be the actual Strike and the results of it.**_

_**I'm dyslexic, so please point out any mistakes in spelling or grammar. Feedback via review or pm most welcome and needed, the more I hear back about my writing or the story the more I can improve. Well, I think that's everything I've gotta say so, hope you enjoyed the chapter.**_

_**Thanks for reading. **_


	2. Who Needs The Kyuubi? 2 of 2

_**Part two of two for this little idea of mine. Let me know what you all think.**_

_**Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto**_

_**XXXXX**_

XX Hokage's Office XX

"It's a bluff!" Danzo Shimura announced once Sarutobi finished informing his advisers, and Danzo, of the Uchiha's planned strike. "A smokescreen to cover their true plan of taking power. It is, in fact, most likely a cover story to mask the actual attack. Yes they plan to attack January third... We must act first!"

"Danzo, please try to act less like an overly paranoid fool." Koharu Utatane sighed. "Before we act we must be sure of the facts. Hiruzen, what has Itachi Uchiha said about this?"

"Itachi has reported that Fugaku told his younger son, Sasuke, that he would be training Sasuke all day." Sarutobi replied. "He also reports that most of the clan are making 'closed until further notice' signs and planning to lie in. This strike may be genuine."

"But can they?" Homura Mitokado asked. "I mean surely they are laws to prevent this?"

"No, there aren't actually."Sarutobi answered. "In fact Konoha law clearly states that all shinobi, excluding ANBU, can freely chose to refuse any mission outside of a 'State of Emergency'."

"Can we be sure they will go through with it?" Koharu asked. "Or are they bluffing?"

"We'll have to wait and see." Was Sarutobi's worried reply.

XX Hokage's Office (Two weeks later) XX

"They did it." Homura said in disbelief. "They actually stopped working... No police patrolling the streets. No forges producing weapons... No Uchiha activity at all."

"And Konoha still stands tall!" Danzo announced triumphantly. "Like one clan could topple a village."

"It's only been one day." Koharu countered. "And they did say it would continue until they got what they wanted."

"But does anyone care about them not working?" Danzo challenged. "It's failed and now they know their place. I mean did their not working have any effect on the village?"

"We were a bit short-staffed." Sarutobi acknowledged. "But I believe the worse hit were the civilians who purchase from Uchiha stores."

"That's it? A few people couldn't buy their bread." Danzo laughed.

"Perhaps you're right." Homura said. "I hope you're right."

XX Hokage's Office (Next day) XX

"There was an incident last night." Sarutobi sighed. "A bar brawl, nine are in the hospital."

"What happened?" Koharu asked.

"It seems several friends were out drinking. One said something he shouldn't have and a fight broke out." Sarutobi answered. "With no police it soon grew into a full scale brawl involving every patron there."

"There was a lot of annoyance among the civilians about the stores being closed." Homura added.

"So. It's annoyance directed at the Uchiha." Danzo cut in. "Let them continue this silly strike. It is only turning the villagers against them even more."

"In the mean time perhaps we should assign a few Genin squads and Chunin to patrolling the village, to prevent any more fights." Koharu suggested.

"Yes. That would be wise." Sarutobi agreed.

XX Hokage's Tower (One week later) XX

"We're doomed. Doomed, doomed, doomed." Homura wailed.

"What's happened now?" Koharu snapped.

"We are being sued." Homura wailed even louder.

"Wait what?" The three others in the room cried out.

"The shinobi sent out to police the streets... They don't know the laws." Homura cried. "We have people who are suing over false imprisonment for refusing to do what they were told. Lawsuits over property damage caused by our shinobi arresting suspects. More false imprisonment claims since the shinobi aren't actually authorised to arrest civilians."

"But why us?" Danzo asked.

"Because it's our names on the mission slips." Koharu realised. "But can they do that?"

"Yes." Homura confirmed. "They can and are."

"Then I guess this is a bad time to mention that the ANBU Requisitions Officer has reported in that she's all out of stock." Koharu said.

"WHAT?" Sarutobi roared. "How? When? Who allowed this to happen?"

"Well, the ANBU do go through equipment pretty quickly... What with having to destroy all evidence of their missions" Koharu answered. "And the report came in just an hour ago... As to who allowed it, we did."

"We did!" Sarutobi repeated. "How did we allow it to happen?"

"We let the Uchiha, who supply the ANBU, go on strike." Koharu said sheepishly. No one noticed just how quite Danzo had gone, or the slight look of horror that spread across his face, when the ANBU were mentioned.

"I wasn't finished." Homura cut in. "There a protests at our shinobi's actions. There's talk of rioting. The civilians are calling for the Uchiha to be brought back."

"We aren't keeping the Uchiha from working." Danzo pointed out. "They simply refuse to listen to reason and open their stores."

"Maybe we should try negotiate." Sarutobi said hopefully. Any excuse to get back to the negotiation table and cancel Itachi's orders to prepare to massacre the Uchiha. "They've shown what they can do, now they may be willing to reason."

"Don't bother, it won't work." Danzo said in a sulk. "I already tried."

"Already tried?" Sarutobi repeated dumbfounded.

"Yes. But they refused to even consider opening Uchiha Senbei." Danzo pouted.

"You tried to get a senbei shop reopened?" Sarutobi asked shaking his head. "How did you try?"

"Well," Danzo began. "At first I tried appealing to their better nature, but Uchiha don't have a better nature. Next I tried bribes, didn't work. Finally I offered them the chance to avoid dying in an unfortunate, and unforeseen, accident... They still refused."

"You're an idiot." Sarutobi sighed. That last one would make any future negotiations more difficult. "We shall call on Fugaku to join us in negotiations. With luck this shall be by tomorrow."

XX Hokage's Office (Next day) XX

"Taking Danzo with us to the negotiation table was a mistake." Homura said as he sank into a chair.

"Agreed." Koharu and Sarutobi sighed in unison.

"It looked like Fugaku was willing to agree, then you came in with your stupid demands." Homura snapped.

"I don't think wanting to know the secrets behind their forging techniques is stupid!" Danzo countered.

"No, but demanding the senbei recipe definitely was." Sarutobi cut in. "What's with you and those stupid crackers anyway?"

"How bad were things today." Koharu asked.

"Protests and demonstrations demanding we do whatever it takes to get the Uchiha back to work." Sarutobi read from the pile of reports on his desk. "Most of our top weapon stores are out of stock and have begun to purchase the lower stores product to see on as their own. There's also rumour that some of the other clans are reviewing how the village treats them, which is very bad since they could strike next."

"We need to do something." Homura said. "We need to get back to the negotiations and resolve this now."

"Why don't we just order the massacre?" Danzo snapped. His inability to get his daily fix of Uchiha Senbei's senbei for over a week was making him twitchy and irrational.

"Because they no longer plan to rebel." Sarutobi pointed out. "And if they are killed now the village will think it was to stop the strike."

XX Hokage's Office (Four days later) XX

"So it is agreed." Sarutobi said as he finished signing the documents that would finally end the Uchiha Strike. "Tomorrow at noon I shall issue a public apology for the slander against your clan."

"And immediately after I shall end the strike and apologise for the disruption it has caused." Fugaku agreed.

"You understand that the hostility from the population will not disappear right away?" Homura sought to clarify.

"Yes. But all we ask for at the moment is a visible effort." Kagami said.

"In exchange for not seeking a return of deeds, you shall be awarded rent equal to the current value for the previous seven years, as well as compensation for the loss of your property" Koharu said.

"A third of which shall be used to cover repairs for the damage done during the strike." Fugaku agreed. "We also have a list of recommendations for ANBU membership from the clan."

"I see." Sarutobi said as he took it. "And about non-Uchiha membership to the Military Police?"

"For the next six months forty percent of new positions shall be held for non-clan members" Fugaku informed them. "Afterwards we shall raise our standards and only accept those who qualify, regardless of parentage."

"Excellent. Now we have no reason to exterminate your clan." Danzo said happily, as he devoured the small sample of Uchiha Senbei senbei that had been taken to the meeting.

"What?" Sarutobi roared, rounding on his old rival and showing his skills as a politician equalled his skills as a shinobi.

"What are you talking about?" Koharu and Homura cried, rounding on him as well.

_**XXXXX**_

_**And there you have it. How the Uchiha nearly destroyed Konoha, and they didn't even need a Bijuu to do it. Hope you guys liked it. Let me know via review or PM.**_

_**I'm dyslexic, so please point out any mistakes in spelling or grammar. Feedback via review or pm most welcome and needed, the more I hear back about my writing or the story the more I can improve. Well, I think that's everything I've gotta say so, hope you enjoyed the chapter.**_

_**Thanks for reading.**_


	3. Wrong Summoning Scroll 1 of 3

_**A collection of scenes based on an idea fromThe Infamous Man's threads, only this time it's one of VulpinShow's ideas I'm gonna try. 'Naruto gets a different summoning contract!' [I apologise if characters appear OOC, I don't really play the games].**_

_**Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto **_

_**Super Mario Bros. Belongs to Nintendo**_

_**XXXXX**_

_[THE FIRST SUMMONING!]_

XX Mount Myoboku XX

Gama grumbled to himself as he hopped along the corridors of the Great Toad Sage's home. If he knew that agreeing to guard the Toad Summoning Contract would mean he was also in charge of the dozens of other contracts the toads had 'acquired' over the years and kept hidden away he wouldn't of agreed. But he had, and now he was being ordered to collect one of the most dangerous Summoning Contracts they had so it could be relocated to an even more isolated location. As he picked up the scroll, Gama felt the familiar feeling of being summoned.

XX Near Konoha's Hot Springs XX

"Ohh!That's from yesterday!" A blond boy exclaimed.

Gama spat the scroll out and into the boy's hands so he could tell Jiraiya he was busy and to summon him later when Jiraiya ended the summoning and sent him back to Mount Myoboku.

XX Mount Myoboku XX

Jiraiya must of wanted to impress the kid and decided to show off his summoning skills, although why someone like Jiraiya would bother to impress a kid was beyond Gama. With a shrug the large toad reached out with his tongue to retrieve the Summoning Scroll.

"Oh shit!" Croaked the normally silent toad. The scroll hadn't come back with him. Turning Gama thundered down the halls trying to find someone who could send a message to Jiraiya, warning him just how dangerous that scroll could be.

XX Near Konoha's Hot Springs XX

"This is the contract with the toads that has been passed down through many generations." Jiraiya said looking over his shoulder in hope of catching a glimpse of one of the many scantily clad girls nearby. "Write your name in blood. And under that press your finger-prints in blood."

Naruto read the few names already on the scroll he noticed something... Jiraiya's name wasn't there. Guessing they must have more then one scroll Naruto followed the strange man, but rather powerful, man's orders.

"Now when you want to call them, produce chakra and place down the hand you signed the contract with." Jiraiya continued reciting his sensei when he'd explained how to summon. "The hand seals are 'Boar, Dog, Bird, Monkey, Sheep'."

"I am ready." Naruto announced.

"Your current state makes releasing the red chakra easier." Jiraiya told him as he rolled up the scroll. "Give it a try."

As Naruto completed the final seal and slammed his hand down onto the ground two things happened at once. Firstly he felt a small amount of his chakra vanish as he preformed his first ever summoning. And secondly, Jiraiya himself was summoned to Mount Myoboku.

XX Border of Koopa Kingdom and Mushroom Kingdom XX

Despite what many would tell you, you don't need a vast amount of chakra to be a successful summoner. You simply need a Summoning Contract that suits your chakra capabilities. In one world, and with a certain contract, Naruto was barely able to summon a newly spawned tadpole. Here, with a contract to a race that relied very little on chakra, Naruto still only able to summon a child, but this child was far more impressive.

"Okay, you remember the plan right?" Bowser Jr., known as BJ affectionately, asked is is siblings as they prepared to kidnap Princess Peach. There father couldn't remember where the Olympic Games against the hedgehog and his friends were on and wanted to double check before he made any travel plans. As he prepared to order the Koopa army to invade he felt a strange tugging sensation in his gut and was consumed by a puff of smoke.

XX Near Konoha's Hot Springs XX

Naruto gave a yelp of fright when the smoke cleared.

"You ain't a toad!" He accused.

"Of course I ain't a toad." Came the angry reply. The creature Naruto summoned seemed to by about half his height, it was mainly covered in yellow scales with dark green scales on it's head. A dark green shell adorned it's back, covered in short spikes. Around it's wrists it wore a pair of slim metal bands and it had what appeared to be a kerchief decorated with a set of fanged teeth around it's neck. On top of it's head was a short red ponytail. All thinks said Naruto had summoned something that'd be real scary, some day.

"Who... What are you?" Naruto asked, moving closer to get a better look.

"I'm Bowser Junior, crown prince of Koopa Kingdom." Bowser Jr. answered as if that would explain everything, it did not. "And were am I?"

"Em, Konoha," Naruto answered. He was torn, one the one hand he'd failed to summon a toad like he was meant to... But he'd summoned something that looked cooler then a toad.

"Where the hell is that?" BJ asked, looking around. "And how did I get here?"

"Konoha's in Fire Country. And I summoned you here." Naruto said with pride.

"Then send me back." BJ ordered with a stomp of his foot.

"I... I don't know how to." Naruto admitted. "I thought you summons would know how to... What happened to the Pervy Sage?"

"Who?" BJ asked, dumbfounded. "Never mind, just send me home"

"I can't." Naruto whined. "But anyway, what can you do?"

"I can do lots of things." BJ answered. "The question is, what can you do?"

"I just learned water walking." Naruto said, beaming with pride.

"You can walk on water?" BJ asked. He'd only ever heard of Mario being able to do that... And only after a blue mushroom. "What else can you do?"

"Well I can walk up trees and I can make Shadow Clones." Naruto declared.

"What's a Shadow Clone?" BJ asked, his head tilted to the side.

"This. Shadow Clone Jutsu." Naruto yelled, forming the required seal.

"COOL!" BJ cried as a dozen more Narutos appeared in puffs of smoke. It was way cooler then any of the magic his siblings could use. "How many of those can you make? How strong are they? Can they do all the stuff you can?"

"Hehe, You show me what you can do and I'll show you what I can do, deal?" Naruto asked, dispelling his clones.

"Deal!" BJ exclaimed. Maybe this being summoned thing will be cool after all.

_**XXXXX**_

_**Okay that's all I've got for this scene. What do you think? Did I get Bowser Jr. close to his canon self? Would you read a Naruto vs Neji fight or Naruto vs Shakaku fight based on this idea? Let me know.**_

_**I'm dyslexic, so please point out any mistakes in spelling or grammar. Feedback via review or pm most welcome and needed, the more I hear back about my writing or the story the more I can improve. Well, I think that's everything I've gotta say so, hope you enjoyed the chapter.**_

_**Thanks for reading.**_


	4. Wrong Summoning Scroll 2 of 3

_**Right, gonna try the second and third scenes I thought up. Please let me know what you think of them. I apologise if characters appear OOC, I don't really play the games.**_

_**Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto **_

_**Super Mario Bros. Belongs to Nintendo**_

_**XXXXX**_

_[MEETING THE KING!]_

_XX Near Konoha's Hot Springs XX_

Naruto and BJ spend the rest of the day talking or messing around. It wasn't until near dark that either remembered that BJ had no idea of how to return home.

"We could ask the Old Man, I'm sure he'd know how to get you home." Naruto suggested.

"Old Man?" BJ asked.

"Yeah, Old Man Hokage." Naruto explained. "He's in charge of the whole village and really smart. He'll know for sure."

"In charge? So he's the king then?" BJ asked as they moved back towards the village itself.

"King?" Naruto repeated. "No, the Daimyo is the king, kind of. The Hokage is 'the supreme commander of Konoha's military and equal to the Daimyo in authority when in relation to shinobi or within the boundary of Konoha itself'... At least that's how it was explained in the Academy."

"Sounds like Kamek!" BJ said with a nod, proud of the mental comparison he made.

"Who's Kamek?" Naruto asked as they re-entered the village proper.

"Kamek is the head of the MagiKoopas." BJ explained, ignoring the strange looks he and Naruto got walking down the main street of the village. "He looked after Dad when he was younger. He'd really old, can order the Koopa Troopas around when Dad isn't there and knows load of cool magic! All the Koopalings are learning from him"

"Magic? Real magic? COOL!"Naruto exclaimed. "And who are the Koopalings?"

"Oh that's what my brothers and sister call themselves. Oh that's big" BJ replied before noticing they had reached the Hokage's tower. "But Dad's is bigger."

"Sure it is." Naurto said, not believing it. The two made there way into the tower, They found the Hokage in his office, finishing off some last minute paper work.

"Ah Naruto it's good to see you. And who's your... friend?" Sarutobi trailed off as he got a clear look at the young Koopa. A quick check confirmed it wasn't a genjutsu or henge. "Eh Naruto, please don't take this the wrong way, but what is your friend?"

"This is Bowser Jr." Naruto said introducing BJ. "I summoned him earlier after that Pervy Sage let me sign the Toad Summoning Contract... I don't know why BJ arrived instead though."

"Pervy Sage?" Sarutobi asked, taking a minute to link the descriptive title to his sole loyal student "Ah haha, it suits Jiraiya alright... Where is he?"

"Don't know. He disappeared about the same time I performed the summoning jutsu." Naruto told him. "Eh, do you know how to send BJ back? Neither of us know how to."

Sarutobi sighed before putting his completed paperwork away and showing Naruto how to undo the jutsu.

XX Koopa Kingdom XX

"Okay, so it starts on the 27th of July and ends on the 12th of August." Bowser said, signalling to a Koopa to record the dates. Once he was sure they were recorded he turned his attention back to Princess Peach. "So myself, BJ and Donkey Kong should be there around the 17th, to acclimatise ourselves. When will yourself and the other humans be arriving?"

"Em, the 22nd I think." Princess Peach answered a moments thought. "Would you be able to take Yoshi as well? Our party is kind of big."

"Fine." Bowser sighed. "But if it tries to eat any of my Koopas I'll crush him, clear?"

"Okay." Peach replied before tilting her head and thinking for several minutes. "Where is he now?"

"Last I heard, Mario was trying to work his way through the castle Wendy is guarding." Bowser answered. "He's taking longer then normal."

"I meant Bowser Jr." Peach corrected. "He wasn't there when I arrived."

"He disappeared. I have Kamek and Kammy Koopa looking into it, although I have more faith in Kamek then the old bat." Bowser growled before glancing at a large clock he had hanging on the wall. "Regardless, he still has twelve minutes before curfew. If he gets back before then, and has a good reason, I won't punish him."

Whatever Peach was about to say was cut off as a poof of smoke appeared out of no where in front of them. As the smoke cleared, it revealed BJ.

"Dad!" He exclaimed before noticing Peach. "And Mama Peach!"

"Where were you?" Bowser growled.

"It was so cool Dad." BJ said, rushing forward to tell all about his adventure in Konoha. "I was summoned to this place called Konoha and I met Naruto, he's so cool and can make and entire army of copies, and we talked for a while then we fought and played, He can walk on water! Then it got late so we went to see the Hokage, he's like Kamek only even older. And he showed me how to come back and it was so cool and I wanna go back tomorrow. Can I Dad? Can I, can I?"

"Summoned eh?" Bowser said, scratching his chine. "Larry, Morton, keep the princess company while I find out exactly what happened to your brother."

XX Konoha XX

It had taken almost the entire day for the toads to fully explain how and why they had other species' Summoning Contract hidden away. It had taken several hours more for them to work out how to get Jiraiya back to Konoha, Ma and Pa were away and no other toad capable of summoning Jiraiya could use the pool to travel to Konoha. The first thing he did after returning was search the entire area around the hit springs for signs of Naruto. Failing that he set off to warn the Hokage about the risk the Koopa posed.

"Jiraiya, I wish you'd use the door like everyone else." Sarutobi sighed as he turned to face his student.

"Sorry, but this is important." Jiraiya said, out of breath. "We need to find the boy and stop him from actually summoning anything. This is bad!"

"What do you mean this is bad?" Sarutobi demanded. Anything Jiraiya considered bad tended to be serious. "And why shouldn't Naruto summon the Koopa again?"

"Wait, he's already called one?" Jiraiya shrieked.

"Yes, I will admit I was surprised you had him sign a different contract." Sarutobi said, leaning back into his chair and stroking his beard. "But I am glad you aren't trying to turn him into a mini-Minato. It's healthy and shows you've finally come to terms with your grief."

"What, no. I was going to give him the toad contract. But they had others lying around and well... there was a mistake." Jiraiya admitted. "I thought it was the toad one."

"They have other Summoning Scrolls?" Sarutobi asked. This being the first he'd ever heard of one species having the contract for another.

"Yeah, a bunch. Told me some of the worst ones they keep hidden." Jiraiya said, suppressing a shudder. "One to summon giant metal lizard things that can turn into giant metal men. One to summon from a collection of about a hundred and fifty creatures that only speak their own name and one to... Well it sounds horrifying. A monster that enslaves the minds of the young and torments the old. You need a special chant to summon it along with the regular jutsu."

"I see." Sarutobi said slowly, resolving to never allow that contract to enter Konoha. "And what has this got to do with Naruto summoning the Koopa?"

"The Koopa are almost as bad." Jiraiya yelled. "They are an endless horde. A monstrous army. Pure evil. We have to prevent their return."

"WHAT?" Sarutobi roared. This was bad. "Naruto has arranged to be reverse summoned to the land of the Koopa to train since, and I quote, 'that idiot Pervy Sage is most likely off looking at girls'."

"Oh, this is not good." Jiraiya muttered, burying his face in his hands. "It's my fault Minato's son is gone forever."

XX Koopa Kingdom XX

"So you're the one who found that old scroll?" Bowser growled. The boy didn't look like much, he was about as tall as Mario and looked about as intelligent. But Bowser Jr. liked him so the brat couldn't be all that bad.

"Y-Yessir." Naruto stammered. When BJ said his bad was like him only bigger, Naruto been expecting something about the same size as Kakashi or another adult human. He hadn't been expecting to meet a nine foot tall Kappa with gym membership. "Y-You must be BJ's dad... King Bowser."

"Well at least you know how to be polite." Bowser muttered as he turned away. "My other children are interested in meeting you... They will oversee your training while here. If you do well enough to impress them they shall agree to let you summon them. Impress all of them and I may consider allowing you to call on MY aid."

_**XXXXX**_

_**Yeah, not much more I feel like writing. Feel free to imagine your own wacky hijinks as Naruto learns how to fight using Mario World items and tries to convince the Koopalings to let him summon them.**_

_**If anyone can correctly guess the three things I referred to when Jiraiya mentioned other Summoning Scrolls [EDIT: it isn't the Predacons!] before I write the next chapter I will let you decide the final fate of Orochimaru himself [as long as it's possible given the story constraints]**_

_**I'm dyslexic, so please point out any mistakes in spelling or grammar. Feedback via review or pm most welcome and needed, the more I hear back about my writing or the story the more I can improve. Well, I think that's everything I've gotta say so, hope you enjoyed the chapter.**_

_**Thanks for reading.**_


	5. A different Action: Wave Arc

_**I'll admit it, this single stand-alone scene was born of alcohol and that fact that Pre-Time Skip Sasuke is my favourite character in the series. Something I've noticed is a lot of writers seem to forget that Sasuke was a good person early in the series, Look at his actions in Wave Country or the Forest of Death against Orochimaru. A simple 'What if?' from the Wave Arc.**_

_**Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto **_

_**XXXXX**_

XX Unnamed Bridge Joining Wave Country and Fire Country XX

The masked Shinobi had gotten lucky with that batch of senbon and caught his leg. Sasuke knew he wouldn't be able to dodge this volley. This would be it. He'd die without avenging the clan. He'd die and 'That Man' would live. But... But it would be over. He'd be free of it. He would see his parents again. See his family again in the next life. Sasuke closed his eyes and awaited oblivion.

He heard it, the sound of pierced flesh. A grunt of pain and the drip, drip, drip of blood. But he felt nothing. Why? Opening his eyes, Sasuke saw only orange.

"N-Naruto?" He gasped. The dead-last, the village idiot had thrown himself in the way of the Masked Shinobi's attack. "Why? I.. I didn't ask for your help!"

"I-I don't know... I just moved." Naruto wheezed, the senbon embedded in his throat making it difficult to talk. "Don't die... Don't die Sasuke."

And with that, Naruto fell. Sasuke could only watch as the closest thing to a friend he had died. Died to protect him. Naruto had been different. While others saw Sasuke 'the orphaned' Uchiha or Sasuke 'the top Rookie' Uchiha, he'd seen Sasuke Uchiha. It didn't matter what had happened in the past, it didn't matter how good Sasuke was. Naruto treated him as he did everyone else. To Naruto, Sasuke was someone to match. Someone to earn the respect of. To Naruto, Sasuke was no different then everyone else in Konoha.

"To jump in... To protect a precious person... Knowing he would die. He was a Shinobi that deserved respect." The Masked Shinobi said, a hint of sadness in his voice. "Is this your first death of a friend?"

"No." Sasuke whispered. Doing something he hadn't done since his parents died, crying. Tears fell, staining Naruto's face. the tears stung his eyes. His left eye began to ache as Sasuke's sorrow turned to rage. Fixing the Masked Shinobi with a hate filled glare Sasuke declared. "But it will be the last!"

Sasuke's declaration was met by a roar of hell-fire and the screams of the Masked Shinobi as the Amaterasu consumed him.

_**XXXXX**_

_**Yeah, real short. Seeing as how Kakashi, and to a degree Sasuke, got their Mangekyo Sharingan without actually killing their best friend I think it's possible to activate it not from actually killing your best friend but from the grief/sadness that comes from losing a close friend. If you disagree, that's okay.**_

_**I'm not expecting a lot of people to like this for two reasons: 1) It's kind of short and 2) It doesn't have Sasuke as a complete asshole.**_

_**I'm dyslexic, so please point out any mistakes in spelling or grammar. I'm also writing this on a Word Program that has no Spell Check, so mistakes are far more likely. Feedback via review or PM is most welcome and needed, the more I hear back about my writing or the story the more I can improve. Well, I think that's everything I've gotta say so, hope you enjoyed the chapter.**_

_**Thanks for reading.**_


	6. Wrong Summoning Scroll 3 of 3

_**Okay, here goes. Gonna try and get the Naruto vs. Neji fight and Shakaku vs. Bowser battle out of the way this time. I'm using the translation over on Mangareader so if some of the dialogue doesn't feel right, blame them.**_

_**And remember these are scenes, not a fic. I won't be writing the time between each. Also, I'm not that great at writing fight scenes so sorry in advance.**_

_**Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto **_

_**Super Mario Bros. Belongs to Nintendo**_

_**XXXXX**_

**NARUTO VS. NEJI**

XX Chunin Exam Stadium [Kage Booth] XX

"Naruto Uzumaki was spotted approaching the stadium Lord Hokage!" Raido Namiashi reported. "However there is still no sign of Sasuke Uchiha."

"Naruto was seen." Sarutobi said, turning to face the bodyguard he inherited from his successor/predecessor. "And he's unharmed?"

"Of course the boy is unharmed." A voice cut in. "He was a guest of Lord Bowser. No harm would befall him."

Turning Sarutobi and Raido found themselves talking to a child sized, bipedal turtle in a blue robes and wearing large, round glasses. It carried a golden sceptre topped by a small, red jewel. Flanking the turtle was a pair of larger bipedal turtles carrying hammers.

"Who-What are you?" Sarutobi asked, wondering how three large, armed, turtles made it into the booth.

"I am Kamek, commander of the MagiKoopa and and advisor to Lord Bowser." Kamek introduced himself. "I have been sent by Lord Bowser to assess the prowess of your warriors before deciding if an alliance would be in the best interest of the Koopa Kingdom."

"Alliance?" Sarutobi repeated. "Who decided we would alley?"

"Young Uzumaki was most vocal in pushing of one." Kamek answered, before waving his sceptre and summoning a small, basic throne for himself. "He was able to sway Lord Bowser's children to the idea... And if there is one thing Lord Bowser cannot do, it is disappoint his children."

"I... I see." Sarutobi said slowly. "Well, I would of course have to negotiate before we committed to any treaty of course."

"Of Course." Kamek agreed. "Now, are the fights beginning soon?"

XX Chunin Exam Stadium [Arena Floor] XX

"Looks like you have something to say." Neji said as the other finalists left the arena floor.

"I told you before..." Naruto declared, pumping his fist out in front of himself. "You're definitely going down!"

"Now, the first fight!" Genma Shiranui declared. "Begin!"

"Hehe, it will be fun to watch you fall apart when you discover reality." Neji said, adapting a loose 'Gentle-Fist' stance.

"Stop all that blabbering!" Naruto yelled, adapting his own stance "Let's fight!"

Naruto began the battle by summoning nearly a dozen Shadow Clones. He knew that if he got to close Neji would shut down his chakra so he had them charge, so he wouldn't give him the chance.

Neji however, countered every move. Every attack the clones launched was blocked or redirected. His Byakugan allowing him to see everything around him. As the clones were destroyed with ease, Neji spoke again.

"Become Hokage eh? It's impossible." Neji told Naruto, an arrogant smile on his face. "I can figure it out with these eyes... Your talent is decided at your birth... You could say that everything is decided when a person is born!"

"Why the hell do you always automatically decide things like that?" Naruto yelled.

"Then are you saying anyone can become Hokage through hard work?Only a handful of Shinobi are chosen as Hokage!" Neji laughed. "Those that become Hokage are born into that destiny. You can't become it by trying. It is decided by destiny! The only destiny that everyone shares is death!"

XX Chunin Exam Stadium [Stands] XX

"Guess he's never met a Dry Bones then." Bowser Junior said to his older brother Ludwig. "But damn, that human really likes to go on and on."

"Huh, Naruto will win." Ludwig said, looking up from the pages of sheet music he had. "It just depends on how many of our 'gifts' he needs to use."

XX Chunin Exam Stadium [Arena Floor] XX

As the battle raged, Naruto managed to trick Neji. Be keeping one clone back, where he should be, Naruto lured Neji into a trap with several clones moving in to strike. But before they could land a barrage of blows, Neji spun in place and repelled them with a dome of chakra.

"Damn." Naruto grunted as he got back up.

"It's over! You are within the range of my divination!" Neji declared. "Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms!"

Neji lunged forward, delivering a rapid series of blows to Naruto's chakra system. As the blows landed Naruto felt his chakra being sealed off. As the sixty-fourth blow was struck Naruto was forced back.

"I have struck sixty-four points on your body. You can no longer stand." Neji informed the downed Naruto.

"Ugh." Naruto grunted, spitting out dust and blood.

"Stay on your knees before a power you cannot change and realise your worthlessness." Neji ordered. "Having your dreams come true through hard work... Is an illusion."

"No... no it isn't." Naruto groaned as he rose. "I... I spent the last month as a punching bag for the Koopas. I had to prove I was worthy to have their aid. I had to work hard to impress each and every member of the Koopalings. I had to work my ass off to impress their king. But I did it! I. Did. It!"

"..What?" Neji asked in amazement. "How are you standing?"

"When you're alone growing up, you learn to get back on your own two feet." Naruto said. "But you, a member of a clan, you wouldn't know about that would you? No, you had people to help you you're whole life. You wouldn't understand!"

"Ha. Haha. Hahahahahaha." Neji laughed, throwing his head back. "My clan, the Hyuuga, help me. You're a fool. Let me tell you about the Hyuuga. Let me tell you about the Hyuuga Destiny of Hatred! The main clan has a seal it passes down. A 'Curse Seal'. It represents 'a bird in a cage'. It is... The symbol of being tied down to an inescapable destiny!"

As he spoke, Neji reached up and removed his forehead protector. As he pulled it away it revealed a stylised manji in between two lines. As Neji continued his speech about how the Hyuuga branded it's Branch members with it when the clan heir turned three Naruto reached into his kunai pouch and removed a small scroll.

As Neji revealed his father and Hinata's were twins, Naruto unrolled the scroll. He was watching Neji as he wouldn't put it past the older boy to attack in a moment of distraction. When he unrolled the scroll enough so that the Storage Seal he wanted was visible Naruto set about discreetly unsealing it.

Naruto halted when Neji revealed that the seal could kill any that bore it. He listened in horror as Neji told of how it ensured the Branch Family would protect the Main House. He felt sick as he learned the fate of Neji's father.

XX Chunin Exam Stadium [Kage Booth] XX

"To sell out one of your own. To appease another who was at fault?" Kamek said aloud. "You humans are pathetic. The Koopa would never do such a thing!"

"We did what we had to do to avoid war." Sarutobi countered, angered that the actions of Konoha were being challenged.

"And is that what you tell yourself to sleep at night, Lord Sarutobi?" Kamek sneered before turning back to the match, missing Sarutobi's inaudible 'yes'.

XX Chunin Exam Stadium [Arena Floor] XX

"This fight... Your destiny was decided... The moment I became your opponent." Neji declared as he began putting his Forehead Protector back on. "Your destiny is to lose to me, there's no doubt."

"Well Destiny can go spit!" Naruto declared before unsealing and hurling a shell. As the winged, spiked, blue coloured shell raced towards him Neji prepared to preform a Rotation to block. As he began to spin, but before the chakra could form an almost impenetrable shield, the shell exploded outwards. Neji was thrown backwards and into the wall of the arena. Naruto, who'd started running soon after throwing the shell, was on him in an instant.

"First thing I learned training with the Koopalings, 'Talking is not a free action!'" Naruto said as he pummelled the older boy. "Second thing I learned, 'always hit the guy when he is down!'"

"Winner, Naruto Uzumaki!" Genma declared. "Eh kid, you can stop hitting him now!"

"Wha? Oh, sorry." Naruto said as he got of a badly battered Neji, who got one last kick to the ribs before Naruto set off towards the waiting area.

_**XXXXX**_

**SHAKAKU VS. BOWSER**

XX Forest Of Konoha XX

"This-This is the monster inside of him?" Naruto stammered as he gazed at the Shakaku. "It's gigantic!"

"I'm free! I'm free! Now to find something to kill!" The sand beast bellowed.

"I-I think I better call for help." Naruto yelped he dived off the branch he'd been standing on, Gaara's sand had almost caught him. Using some of the blood staining his face, Naruto ran through the five hand signs. "Summoning Jutsu!"

"What the..?" Came a startled growl from the thick puff of smoke the the jutsu caused. "Where am I?"

"King Bowser! King Bowser, you've gotta help." Naruto yelled, pointing at the Shakaku. "That thing is going to destroy Konoha if we don't stop it!"

"What, the walking beach?... Fine." Bowser growled, normally he wouldn't bother helping but his children had grown somewhat attached to the human. "Summon Kamek! I shall require his magic as well."

"Eh, Kamek is helping the Hokage back in the village... Can I call someone else?"

"What? Kamek is the only one I trust to preform this spell." Bowser snapped. "Summon him!"

"But... But that'll leave the Hokage fighting all alone!" Naruto said. "Please, isn't there anyone else?"

"No!" Bowser roared before sighing. "Summon Kammy Koopa.! I'm going to regret this."

"Right, on it." Naruto exclaimed happily as he ran through the hand signs again. "Summoning Jutsu."

"It is I, the beautiful Koopa with the beautiful name, Kammy Koopa!" The strange, purple robed Koopa declared. She carried a golden sceptre topped by a small, red jewel like Kamek did but also had a large broomstick with her.

"Shut up you stupid old crone!" Bowser roared at her. "Now, cast the spell to make me big. I have a walking beach to stomp."

"Of course Your Viciousness!" Kammy said before taking flight with her broom and circling overhead.

"You might wanna step back, or you're gonna be stomped on!" Bowser warned Naruto, who quickly rushed off to try and free Sakura.

"Alright now." Kammy said as she adjusted her grip on her sceptre and fired it at Bowser's feet. "Magic wand, make my Master grow!"

Kammy's power forced Bowser to grow to gigantic size, with his scales and hair turning a darker shade and his horns becoming even larger. With a vicious roar Bowser charged the sand monster.

"What The Hell Are You?" Shakaku bellowed as Bowser rammed into him. Bowser began to slash away at the Shakaku's sandy form. The Shakaku tried to retaliate with spikes of sand but they failed to pierce Bowser's thick scales or shell. The Shakaku had more luck using it's long, heavy arms as clubs to beat Bowser with. Bowser countered with a jet of flame, intense enough to convert the sand into glass.

"AHH! No Fair! Stop Fighting Back! Just Let Me Kill You!" Shakaku screamed as Bowser proceed to shred his other arm to the point of being useless.

"Ahahaha. Of Course It Isn't Fair!" Bowser laughed as he delivered a vicious headbut to the Tanuki's jaw. As he pulled his head back again for another blow, Bowser noticed a small red haired boy sticking out of the Shakaku's forehead. "What's This?"

"What? No, No No No! Don't Touch Him!" Shakaku panicked as Bowser clawed away a large portion of it's face, awakening and severely wounding Gaara in the process. "No! It's Not Fair! I Just Woke Up!"

As the sand demon dissolved away, Bowser undid Kammy's spell and returned to normal. Once back to normal, and with a barely alive Gaara over his shoulder, Bowser made his way towards Naruto. As he neared the boy and his team mates, Kammy came zooming in on her broomstick.

"That was amazing Your Viciousness!" She exclaimed. "Truly a victory for the ages. Of course I knew you'd win before you even started fighting."

"Shut up you all wind bag." Bowser snapped, trying to swat her away. "So boy, what should I do with this? He was growing out of the beast you had me fight!"

"That's Gaara! Naruto exclaimed, moving away from the unconscious Sakura. "His sister is around here, we should send him on with her."

"What? The boy's an enemy, kill him now while he can't fight!" Bowser argued.

"He's... He's like me!" Naruto admitted. "Like I was. I know if he finds someone to care for, and that cares for him, he'll be happy. Give him the chance to find someone."

"Bah! Stupid boy." Bowser snapped as he dropped Gaara. "Fine! We'll do it your way, but don't be surprised when he returns to kill you."

"If it happens, I'll defend myself." Naruto said with conviction. "Now we really need to get back to Konoha."

XX Chunin Exam Stadium [Kage Booth Roof] XX

Orochimaru narrowed his eyes, wondering why Sarutobi stopped in the middle of a chain of hand signs. He was looking behind Orochimaru with his eyes wide in shock.

"I won't fall for such a silly trick Sensei!" Orochimaru declared, half tempted to turn anyway to see if there was something there. It might be the cause of all those shakes. Orochimaru knew it wasn't the Shakaku, or it's host, as their was no deranged laughter. Nor was it Jiraiya and his toads, they were on the far side of town. He only turned when the roar of fire came from behind and the Sound Four's barrier broke. Turning around Orochimaru didn't even have time to regret anything before a re-enlarged Bowser ate him, and part of the roof he'd been standing on.

"Hey 'Old Man', everything okay?" Naruto called from Bowser's head. Behind him a terrified Sasuke held onto an unconscious Sakura for dear life.

_**XXXXX**_

_**And that's the 'Naruto Summons The Koopas' done. Since I seem to be the only person who's ever heard of the Dinobots I just went with the default ending, Orochimaru gets eaten. Nothing else I gotta say for the moment. If you feel the ending is a bit of a let down, to bad. It's what I'd planned and it's what you're getting.**_

_**I'm dyslexic, so please point out any mistakes in spelling or grammar. Feedback via review or pm most welcome and needed, the more I hear back about my writing or the story the more I can improve. Well, I think that's everything I've gotta say so, hope you enjoyed the chapter.**_

_**Thanks for reading.**_


	7. Meet Team Nightmare

_**If anyone has read "**__**A Freak, A Creep & A Psychopath" by Legendary Legacy, you'll recognise this basic idea behind this fic... Insanely Overpowered Team Seven run rampant through the Naruto World. It's pure crack and not meant to be taken seriously at all.**_

_**Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto **_

_**Fullmetal Alchemist belongs to Hiromu Arakawa**_

_**Devil May Cry belongs to Capcom**_

_**Venom belongs to Marvel Comics**_

_**XXXXX**_

XX Konoha Shinobi Academy XX

Kakashi popped his head into the classroom and got his first look at his would-be Genin. Granted it wasn't the first time he'd ever seen the children, well it was his first time ever seeing Sakura. Kakashi had seen Naruto around the village, either in passing or when he'd watched the boy from afar ensuring he was okay. He'd also seen Sasuke several times but not as often. Kakashi had read the Academy reports on the trio earlier and so Kakashi could be forgiven for thinking he knew what to expect, he was wrong.

The first one Kakashi noticed was Sasuke. It appeared the boy had traded in the blue, short-sleeved shirt with a high collar and the Uchiha crest on the back, something Kakashi use to think was all the clan would wear when he was young, for a large red coat. Kakashi couldn't tell much about it other then it's sleeves had been rolled up as Sasuke was resting his head on the desk with his arms crossed in front of him. His hair also seemed to lie completely flat instead of spiking at the back. Kakashi couldn't see his Forehead Protector Wondering what caused the change Kakashi scanned the room for the other two.

It seemed it had been longer then he'd thought since he'd last seen Naruto as the boy's spiky hair was now so long he was able to tie it in a braid that hung down to his shoulders with his bangs parted to frame his face. He'd also swapped that eyesore of an orange track suit for black shirt and red coat. The boy was reading a small, plain book in a similar manner to Kakashi and Jiraiya's work. Naruto wore his Forehead protector around his neck.

Turning Kakashi jumped slightly when he found himself face to face with his third student, who was squatting on the wall. Apart from shorter hair and apparent mastery of Tree Climbing she seemed to match the report he'd been given.

"Hmm... My first impression of you guys is..." Kakashi said. "You don't look like much. So, meet me on the roof and we'll introduce ourselves okay?"

As Kakashi reappeared on the roof via a Body Flicker Jutsu he found himself staring at a bored looking Sasuke, who was leaning on the kind of sword those psychos from Kiri loved. It was big and scary and clearly meant to be used by a mad man. The whole thing appeared to be made of a dull grey metal, it's blade looked a bit like a large kunai blade and it's guard was a metallic skull and rib cage.

"Damn, you beat us up." Said a voice behind Kakashi, causing the masked man to twirl around in shock only to see Sakura crouching on the iron hand railing. As Kakashi looked between the two, wondering how they got up so fast the door opened and Naruto joined them.

"Okay." Kakashi said, deciding to wait until after the introductions before getting his answers. "Let's start with you introducing yourselves."

"What do you want to know?" Sakura asked as she sat down beside Sasuke.

"Eh likes, dislikes, dreams for the future." Kakashi shrugged. "That kind of thing."

"You go first!" Sasuke told Kakashi. "We already know each other."

"Me? Alright." Kakashi said as he blew out in an overly dramatic fashion. "My name is Kakashi Hatake! I have no desire to tell you my likes or dislikes... Dreams for the future, hmm... I have lots of hobbies."

"Whoa, you need to get a life!" Sasuke stated bluntly. "Hope I'm not that dull when I hit forty."

"Right, let's start from the right." Kakashi ground out, resisting the urge to hit the cheeky little brat.

"My name's Naruto Uzumaki." Naruto began. "I like books, ramen, new alchemy theories... and cute girls. I hate milk, people who think I am... small, getting my automail repaired, and fake Philosopher Stones. My dream, to acquire the Philosopher's Stone! My hobby... Studying alchemy I guess."

"Right." Said Kakashi, wondering what on earth automail, alchemy or a Philosopher's Stone was. "Next."

"Name's Sasuke." Sasuke announced, appearing to clean under his nails. "I like pizza, tomatoes, tomatoes on pizza, booze, babes and things that make my enemies go bang... I love to party, the sicker the sweeter. I don't like Devils, Fuckers-that-force-you-to-watch-the-murder-of-your-clan-twice-and-don't-have-the-common-decency-to-kill-you-afterwards, Demons, having no pizza and being bored. Dreams for the future, to keep life interesting I guess."

"O-kay." Kakashi said slowly, wondering how difficult it'd be to get Sasuke a session or three with a shrink. "And lastly, the girl."

"Our name is Venom, for that is what we spit upon the wicked. We like Chocolate, the innocent, Sasuke... and maybe Naruto. " Sakura said. "We hate... SPIDER-MAN, those who harm the innocent, PARKER and loud noises. Our dream... To keep this bond forever."

"Sakura don't you mean ''I/my" and why do you call yourself 'Venom'?" Kakashi asked, wondering if he could get a discount if he booked Sasuke's and Sakura's appointments together.

"Because.." Sakura began as her dress turned into a thick, black inky substance and spread over her body. As it stopped it took the form of a tight, black complete bodysuit with large white markings on the face and a massive white spider on the torso. As she resumed speaking Kakashi saw that the mask had a mouth. A mouth filled with more fangs than Pakkun had and a tongue that would make Orochimaru feel inadequate. "... It is our name!"

"Holy FuckNuggits!" Kakashi screamed as he feel on his ass in fright. Before he could attack, or flee in terror, the suit turned back into Sakura's normal dress.

"Are you okay Sensei?" She asked, concern on her face.

"Y-Yeah." Kakashi said, trying to make sense of what he'd just seen. When he noticed a small smirk on Naruto's face he realised what was going on, they'd pranked him. Naruto must have convinced his team mates to do this since it matched his profile. That meant he'd inherited his Father's leadership skills... And his Mother's twisted sense of humour. "W-Well, meet me tomorrow for survival training. If you pass, you become my students. Fail and you go back to the Academy... All you need to know is here on these sheets."

"Sounds like it'll be a hell of a party." Sasuke laughed as he read. "I'll bring a few cool party favours."

"Thought it was too easy to pass." Naruto noted as he read his sheet.

"We shall meet you there." Sakura said as she rose, her fists being covered in the think inly substance to form a pair of black gloves with a white patch on the back of the hand. As Kakashi tried, and failed, to dispel whatever genjutsu she was using Sakura hopped over the railing and fired a thick white substance from the back of her hand and swung down to the Academy grounds. "Bye."

As Kakashi tried to rationalise what he'd just seen a mass of red crossed his field of vision and hopped over the railing as well.

"Talk to you later." Sasuke called back as he fell several storeys and landed without any sign of injury.

"You sure you're okay?" Naruto asked from the doorway. "You seem kinda... off."

"Yeah." Kakashi said, wondering if he needed to was the one who needed to see a shrink. "Eh, don't forget to skip breakfast or you'll throw up."

_**XXXXX**_

_**Okay, next chapter will be the 'Bell Test'. I plan to cover the Bell Test, Wave Arc [Zabuza fight and beating Gato] and the Chunin Exams [All three tests plus dealing with Shakaku].**_

_**I'm dyslexic, so please point out any mistakes in spelling or grammar [After someone mistook the differences between British and Ameircan spelling as mistakes I think I should point out I spell things the British Way.]. Please leave your opinion via review or send them via PM, I'd like to know what you think. Well, I think that's everything I've gotta say so, hope you enjoyed the chapter.**_

_**This is Highvalour saying bye and thanks for reading.**_


	8. Team Nightmare Test Kakashi

_**Right, lets have some fun with the 'Bell Test'. Expect to see lots and lots of near misses, Kakashi is gonna end up [even more] shell-shocked by the this is done.**_

_**Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto **_

_**Fullmetal Alchemist belongs to Hiromu Arakawa**_

_**Devil May Cry belongs to Capcom**_

_**Venom belongs to Marvel Comics**_

_**XXXXX**_

XX Third Training Ground XX

"Hey guys, good morning!" Kakashi called as he arrived at the Third Training Ground. Under the shade of one of the larger threes, Kakashi saw two of his potential students/minions sitting. "Where's Sakura?"

"Oh, so you finally got here." Naruto said, putting away the book he'd been reading. Sasuke simply gave a lazy wave before getting up and pulling his huge sword out of the tree trunk behind him. "Ah Sakura? She was here earlier..."

"Hi Sensei!" Sakura yelled right behind Kakashi. Once again Kakashi wondered how she managed to sneak up on him. "So, when does the Survival Training start?"

"In a minute." Kakashi told her, ideally noticing how none seemed to be showing any sign of hunger... Or annoyance at him being late. "First let me explain how it it'll work."

Kakashi removed a small alarm clock from one of his pouches and set it to sound at noon. After that he set a pair of packed lunches aside. He also removed a pair of bells, trying to remember what Minato had had said when he gave the test.

"Okay, it's set for noon." Kakashi said, pointing towards the clock. "Here are two bells. Your task is to take these bells from me before the time's up! Those who don't have a bell by noon... Get no lunch. You'll be tied to one of the stumps over there and forced to watch while we eat."

"So that's why you didn't want us to eat!" Naruto pointed out.

"that's right." Kakashi said with a smile, not that anyone could notice with the mask. "Now you only have to get one bell. There are only two, so one of you will definitely be be tied to a stump. Oh and the person who doesn't take a bell fails. So at least one person is going back to the Academy."

"So take a bell, have lunch, avoid having to listen to those lectures for another year?" Sasuke summarised. "Anything else?"

"Yeah. If you want you can use shurikens and kunai." Kakashi told them. "You won't succeed unless you come at me intending to kill... Ready and GO!"

No sooner then he said go, Kakashi found himself forced to dodge as Sasuke shot forward and brought his massive sword down in an overhead swing. Lunging to the side, Kakashi was shocked to see the blade leave a short but deep groove in the earth.

"Just how strong is he?" Kakashi wondered before his survival instincts screamed 'dodge'. Jumping backwards, Kakashi just barely evaded being captured as the earth beneath him snapped up like a bear trap. Looking for the source of the Earth Release Jutsu responsible, Kakashi noticed Naruto kneeling with his hands planted on the ground. "Where did he learn such a powerful Earth Release?"

"We have you now!" Sakura roared, once again in that monstrous form, as she fired two strands of that strange white substance. With no other option while in mid air, Kakashi preformed a Replacement Jutsu.

XX Forest Surrounding The Training Ground XX

"Interesting." Kakashi muttered to himself as he sat high up in a tree. "They each attacked individually, but in such a way that each set up the next one... But was it teamwork or just coincidence?"

"Coincidence." Something growled above Kakashi. Looking up Kakashi snapped his left arm up to defend against an incoming kick.

"Fuck." Kakashi cursed as he felt both his ulna and radius break from the force. The kick had forced him from the tree and he barely had time to recover before Sakura was on him,aiming kicks and punches at his face. She was showing a speed and power rarely seen outside skilled Taijutsu specialists, even Guy's apprentice couldn't match it. It was only Kakashi's skill and experience that allowed him to evade and counter each strike. "Dammit, gotta fall back and formulate a plan!"

Using his free hand, Kakashi retrieved and armed a Flash-Bang. As he retreated the Flash-Bang detonated, causing Sakura to scream in rage and pain. When he was sure he'd escaped, Kakashi stopped to try and splint his damaged arm. As he finished, Kakashi heard a crackle of electricity and rolled to the side as the earth beneath him warped again to try and trap him.

"Damn, missed again." Naruto sighed as he clapped his hands together before slamming his right hand to the ground, as he brought his hand back up Kakashi's visible eye widened in shock. Somehow Naruto had created a solid metal spear and was adopting a fairly loose stance. "Guess I have to do it the hard way."

"That level of Earth Release is beyond anything this village could teach... Not even the Hokage could pull that off!" Kakashi gasped, before drawing a kunai to parry a blow. Naruto seemed to be the complete opposite of Sakura. While she was insanely fast and powerful, so was rather unskilled and had difficulty dealing with Kakashi's experienced fighting style. Naruto on the other hand was quite skilled with the spear, something not taught to Shinobi in Konoha, but appeared to be only slightly stronger then he should be. He used quick jabs and wide, slicing swipes to try and control Kakashi's actions and was easily able to block with the shaft of the spear. Naruto's skill reminded Kakashi of Asuma's display with a Shakujo, which he'd learned at the Fire Temple. After nearly fifteen minutes of striking, feinting and counter-attacks Naruto got through Kakashi's defence and pierced the man's flak jacket. Ignoring the rush of pain, Kakashi struck a blow to the back of his opponent's neck to knock him out. Panting slightly, Kakashi ran his finger along the gash Naruto had made in his flak jacket. Upon inspection, Kakashi wasn't surprised to find them stained with blood.

"A Genin made me bleed!" He muttered before preforming the Replacement Jutsu. No sooner had he then the log he'd swapped with was torn apart as a dozen thunderclaps sounded from the tree line. As Sasuke emerged from his hiding space he tool aim with what Kakashi thought were a pair of partially assembled hand crossbows and fired. Lunging from the branch he'd hidden on, Kakashi pulled up his Forehead Protector and revealed his Sharingan. "To think I need this against a Genin. I'll need to finish this fast."

With his Sharingan Kakashi was able to track the small, metallic slugs Sasuke was firing. This made dodging even easier and finally Sasuke decided to engage up close with that sword of his. As Kakashi dodged and parried, being forced to discard the kunai afterwards as they ended up badly damaged by the force, Kakashi used his Sharingan to copy Sasuke's sword technique. Kakashi didn't know if knowing how to handle a Kiri style Great Sword would come in handy in the future, but you never know. The longer the fight lasted, the more Kakashi realised that Sasuke wasn't using chakra. Not to boost his reflexes or to enhance his physical strength. This meant that in a battle of attrition, Sasuke had the advantage. Kakashi had only one good arm thanks to Sakura, was tired from his extended fight with Naruto and now burning through his chakra. A groan from Naruto alerted him to just how much time had passed.

"Must nearly be time now. Just gotta last until the alarm rings." He panted as he dodged a swing that would of taken his head off. Deciding to retreat again and wait Kakashi let fly with a dozen shuriken. Sasuke managed to shoot eleven of them out of the air, but took the twelfth to the throat. "Shit!"

As Kakashi rushed forward to check on his downed student he felt something slam into his chest and knock him to the ground. A loud bang followed and as Kakashi tried to sit up he saw Sasuke get to his feet and rip the shuriken out. As he approached Kakashi, Sasuke stored what looked like a pair of short tubes fitted into a wooden stock. Before Kakashi could recover he was struck be several bursts of Sakura's sticky substance and pinned down.

"Hey Sakura." Sasuke greeted as he took the bells. "You alright Naruto?"

"Yeah." Naruto answered, rubbing his neck as he approached. "You okay?"

"Yep." Sasuke said before throwing the two bells into the air and slashing at them four times. He then snatched the pieces out of the air. He held out his hand, inviting Naruto and Sakura to take some of the pieces. "There. We each have two pieces, so do we pass?"

"Yeah." Kakashi sighed, closing his eyes and beginning to pass out. "To finish the test... Just take me to the hospital."

_**XXXXX**_

_**Okay, that's that done. The title 'Team Nightmare' comes from the fact that once they start taking missions, this team will be a nightmare to work against [or lead]. While I'm not bashing, Kakashi will suffer. Mostly it'll just be slowly going more and more insane as he tries, and fails, to control the team and is forced to witness the chaos they cause on a regular basis.**_

_**While trying to think of how this fight would go, I thought of the skills each of the three characters [ED, Dante and Venom] had and how useful they would be in the Ninja World of Naruto.**_

_**Venom- Grants the wearer super strength and speed. It's ability to move vertically or horizontally on any surface combined with it's mimicry [adapting to appear like clothing or it's surrounding to blend in] without using any chakra would make the wearer one of the best infiltrators ever. Never mind what those abilities allow for on the battlefield. As seen here with how Sakura is able to sneak up on Kakashi all the time, blending in and masking her chakra before surprising or attacking Kakashi.**_

_**Dante- He wouldn't make a very good ninja, outside of a war between two or more Shinobi Villages. His strength, agility and reflexes are well above peak human and he has regenerative abilities on par with Tsunade [when she has that Seal active]. Add in his skill with the Devil Arms and a shock trooper who'll draw all enemy attention on the battlefield as they try and deal with the biggest threat. With his guns [which appear to have no counterpart in Naruto, I don't remember even seeing anything as advanced as a crossbow at any point] he brings terror to the battlefield as well. They are loud, flashy and fatal to all but the most skilled Shinobi... Think how the natives reacted to European muskets when they arrived in America. And that isn't even getting into what his Devil Trigger power boost would mean. Sasuke showed it here when he used the most damaging attacks and easily took a shuriken to the neck [even using it to lure Kakashi in close enough to shoot with a shotgun] **_

_**Ed- Not really suited to infiltration like Venom or direct combat like Dante, he does have near unlimited value as support. His Alchemy can create/repair clothing and weapons. He also comments [in the 2003 anime] that he can make bread out of grass, so add food to that list of stuff of items he can provide without needing to carry them around. Like Yamato's Wood Release being used to make a house, Ed's Alchemy could provide shelter when travelling. His Alchemy can be used to manipulate the area to provide a distraction [infiltration] or for surprise attacks [combat] meaning he would be useful to have when preforming such missions. Naruto nearly caught Kakashi twice by turning the very ground into traps, had he not tried to fight at close range he most likely would of succeed later in trapping Kakashi with Alchemy.**_

_**I'm dyslexic, so please point out any mistakes in spelling or grammar [I spell things the way they do in England and Ireland, so some things may look off to Americans]. Please leave your opinion via review or send them via PM, I'd like to know what you think. Well, I think that's everything I've gotta say so, hope you enjoyed the chapter.**_

_**This is Highvalour saying bye and thanks for reading.**_


	9. Team Nightmare Induced Sanity Slippage

_**Okay since I've been working on 'Legacy' a lot I thought I'd give you all this little filler chapter. Oh quick note, I am not bashing Kakashi in this fic. I would have any other Sensei suffer like he did [and will] while trying to deal with 'Team Nightmare'. I do not bash, if I mock a character it's because it seemed like a funny thing to do or was plot relevant at the time.**_

_**Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto **_

_**Fullmetal Alchemist belongs to Hiromu Arakawa**_

_**Devil May Cry belongs to Capcom**_

_**Venom belongs to Marvel Comics**_

_**XXXXX**_

XX Konoha Hospital XX

Guy marched through the hospital like a man on a mission, most likely because he was on one. It was a self-appointed mission, to find his hip rival and ensure the man was okay. When word had reached the Hokage's office, were Guy had been handing in a mission report, that the great Kakashi Hatake had been forced to visit the hospital due to injuries acquired against his would-be Genin team no one believed it. After checking with the nurse at the front desk, and learning that Kakashi really had been admitted, Guy had rushed to see his wounded comrade. On the way he passed three children, who judging by their age and the forehead protectors they possessed appeared to be Genin. Two of them, a short blond haired boy and a taller raven-haired youth, were arguing if science or sorcery was better. The third, a pink haired girl, was listening to them while eating one of the bars of chocolate the Akimichi sold in their stores.

"The flames of your students' Youth most burn brightly for them to have put you here." Guy laughed as he opened the door to Kakashi's room and entered. Guy froze when he saw Kakashi. His eyes had dark rings around them, he looked pale and sickly and was showing other signs of chakra exhaustion. His chest was covered by a large collection of bruises, his right side was covered in padding and gaze and his right arm was in a cast and sling. These signs of injury were nothing compared to the shock of seeing Kakashi without a shirt, and so by extension the mask that was part of his under-shirt, and that something other than 'Make-Out Paradise' in his free hand.

Kakashi had pulled over the tray you placed your dinner on and had covered it in scrolls and sheets of paper. He was scribbling on the sheets and muttering to himself. Looking closer Guy saw the scrolls detailed some of the different Kenjutsu styles that came from Kiri and Water Country.

"Guy, one of your students uses weapons right?" Kakashi said by way of greeting. He then began to sketch something on one of the sheets.

"Why yes, Tenten." Guy answered. "Why do you want to know?"

"Because one of my students managed to use a Kiri style Great Sword to cut my bells into pieces, with one hand!" Kakashi exclaimed as he handed over the sheet he'd been sketching on. On it were three images of the dark haired boy Guy had passed in the corridor. In one picture he was carrying a sword almost as large as he was. In another he had what appeared to be a pair of partially assembled mini-crossbows, a note beside this image said that each pull of the trigger fired a small metal slug at high speed and that it was quite accurate. The third and final picture showed him with what seemed to be a pair of short tubes fitted into a wooden stock and had a note that said it fired a collection of metal balls which hurt like a bitch. "I've asked people in ANBU, they say it can't be done! The blade is just to large to cut through the bells that easily."

"You want me to ask Tenten if she knows how to do it?" Guy asked, somewhat worried about his friend's mind. "And do you want me to show these to Tenten to see if she knows what they are?"

"Yeah." Kakashi answered. "I gotta tell you Guy, my team is gonna be a real nightmare."

_**XXXXX**_

_**This is just a short little ficlet. Only thing of note is it shows the beginning of Kakashi's decent into madness because of his team. I've also learned that I cannot write Guy, at all... As a way of covering my own ass I'm gonna say he's just so surprised that Kakashi hasn't bothered to cover his face.**_

_**I'm dyslexic, so please point out any mistakes in spelling or grammar [I spell things the way they do in England and Ireland, so some things may look off to Americans]. Please leave your opinion via review or send them via PM, I'd like to know what you think. Well, I think that's everything I've gotta say so, hope you enjoyed the chapter.**_

_**This is Highvalour saying bye and thanks for reading.**_


	10. Team Nightmare Unleashed On The World

_**Another chapter, another attempt to entertain you all. I just felt like writing more Naruto fics and so decided to try and get a full chapter [two thousand words minimum] written up.**_

_**Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto **_

_**Fullmetal Alchemist belongs to Hiromu Arakawa**_

_**Devil May Cry belongs to Capcom**_

_**Venom belongs to Marvel Comics**_

_**XXXXX**_

XX Forest Surrounding Konoha XX

"What's your distance to the target?" Kakashi asked into his headset. He ideally wondered what the little monsters would do this time, last mission Naruto had put the client in the hospital after the little old lady who'd hired them to de-weed her garden called him a 'stupid little boy' for ripping up some herbs. The time before that Sasuke had opened fire with those 'gun' things in a crowded market after one idiot muttered 'demon' while passing Naruto. Maybe it would be Sakura this time, she hadn't cost them a mission yet. If she did mess up maybe people would start believing him whenever he said she was some kind of monster.

"Five meters! I'm ready to go!" Naruto reported back.

"As are we." Was Sakura's reply.

"Ahh, dammit! Stand still and take it like a cat!" Yelled Sasuke before a string of bangs rang out.

"I got!" Naruto shouted before an ominous boom and the sound of raining debris could be heard in the distance.

"You are ours!" Came a monstrous roar that told Kakashi that Sakura had transformed.

Letting out a long suffering sigh, Kakashi made his way to his 'students'. When he reached them he found Sakura inspecting Sasuke's face for something while Naruto held their target by the scruff of the neck.

"What happened this time?" Kakashi asked.

"It scratched out my eye!" Sasuke roared glaring at the cat, with both eyes. "It's a good job it grew back."

"Uhuh." Kakashi sighed before taking the cat from Naruto. "Let's just finish the damn mission."

XX Hokage's Tower XX

Ohh, my little Tora. I was so worried!" Cooed the Fire Daimyo's wife.

"I still say we should of dropped it in the Inuzuka kennels and put bets on how long it lasted." Sasuke whispered. "But seeing how the owner acts, I'm kinda glad we found the cat."

"Now Team Seven for your next mission..." The Hokage began once the Daimyo's wife had left. "... Babysitting an Elder's Grandson, shopping in a neighbouring village or helping with the potato picking?"

"Oh come on! Give us something interesting old man!" Sasuke exclaimed. "We kicked the Cyclops' ass! Surely that qualifies us for something a little more exciting than looking after that scarf wearing brat you call a grandkid?"

"..."

"Eh... What my team mate meant was..." Naruto said, breaking the silence that had fallen on the room after Sasuke challenged the Hokage. "That maybe the basic missions don't quite make full use of our talents... And that perhaps we could do better work on more important tasks?"

"Yeah, our skills are wasted on these silly chores." Sakura agreed.

"Fine." The Hokage sighed as he reached for a mission that would see the team make a round trip to Wave Country. He was agreeing for two reasons. One, it was clear that all three would argue and he didn't want to deal with that and two, it would mean at least a week without Kakashi ambushing any active Shinobi with the physical strength or Kenjutsu skills required to use a Kiri style Great Sword and make them try and re-create an impossible cut. A physical blade was just to thick to make a cut that fine... Asuma's chakra blades could manage it but nothing else could do it. Yes, with Kakashi gone for a week productivity should increase. "I'll give you a C-Rank mission. It's a protection mission for a certain individual."

"Lord Hokage, are you sure this is a good idea?" Iruka asked.

"It will be fine." The Hokage assured the Chunin. "Send in the client."

"What's this?" Muttered a man who entered through the door behind the team. "You sure are a bunch of super brats... Especially the short one with the stupid looking face. Are you really a ninja?"

"Who are you calling so microscopic that you need a tele-urk..." Naruto yelled throwing himself at the man before close-lining himself on Sasuke's extended arm. Both Sasuke and Sakura then sat on the enraged blond, pinning him down while he trashed about and yelled obscenities that would make a Kiri sailor blush.

"Hey dumbass." Sasuke said, fixing the man with an intense glare. "Don't use the S-word."

"Eh right..." The man said, somewhat taken aback by what he'd just seen. "I-I'm the master bridge builder, Tazuna. I expect you to provide..."

"Question!" Sakura interrupted. "What's the difference between a bridge and a master bridge?"

"...Eh." Tazuna said in confusion. "Look, just get me home and keep me save until I finish the bridge."

"Whatever." Sasuke sighed as he got off Naruto. "You guys wanna get something to eat?"

"Sure." Came the replies.

"Before I go, I feel I should point out that today may be the last time we are required to captured Tora the cat!" Kakashi said as he watch the trio leave.

"What? Why?" The Hokage asked, concerned over one of the Village's most reliable income sources.

"Why? Why? I'll tell you why!" Kakashi said, his voice getting higher as he spoke. "It's because you sent a psychopath, an earth bender and the devil itself out and ended up terrifying the damn cat!"

"Hey! I take offence to being called the devil!" Sasuke called back from the hallway.

"I wasn't talking about you with that one!" Kakashi shouted before taking the mission scroll and turning to Tazuna. "Come on, I'm gonna need to plan a route that you can travel while still getting us there as quickly as possible."

XX Random Road In Fire Country XX

Team Seven made it's way down an empty country road. Kakashi had his nose buried in his book, Naruto doing something similar. Sasuke was whistling a tune and Sakura was eating a large bar of chocolate. In fact the only won who seemed to be paying any attention to their surroundings was the constantly drunk Tazuna. None of the group paid any attention as they passed a puddle in the middle of a road that hadn't seen rain in days. It was this apparent lack of attention that allowed Gōzu and Meizu, the Demon Brothers of Kiri, to attack Kakashi. As the shredded chunks of Kakashi's body fell to the ground the brothers rushed forward. As Gōzu moved to strike at Sasuke he noticed that his gauntlet, and presumably the arm inside it, flying off in another direction.

Sasuke adjusted his grip on Rebellion and struck Gōzu with the flat of the blade, stunning him long enough for Naruto's Alchemy to trap him. Meizu seeing his brother's defeat cursed in rage and turned to avenge Gōzu only for a black clawed fist to connect with the side of his head, knocking him into a tree with enough force to give him a concussion.

"Stay!" Sakura growled as she fired several shots of impact webbing to prevent Meizu from moving.

"It's all clear, you can stop hiding like a chicken now!" Sasuke called.

"Well done team, very good." Kakashi laughed as he stepped out from behind a tree. "And I wasn't hiding, I was merely waiting to see who their target was."

"Whatever, I'll find out everything we could want to know in a minute." Sasuke said as he drew Coyote-A and fired at the tree Meizu was stuck to, destroying a chunk of the bark. "Talk!"

"Okay, but my info will be a few years old." Meizu squeaked before revealing everything. He told them troop numbers, Clan vs Civilian ratios, Bloodlines that kiri still had in relation to those that had died out because of the citizen mobs that had formed around Water Country to hunt down Bloodline users, in-depth character Biographies of the most well known or powerful living Kiri Shinobi, loyal or otherwise, and confirmed that the current Mizukage was in fact the host of the Sanbi. "And Utakata, the host of the Rokubi, is currently a Missing-Nin. Our information hints at him having taken refuge in Tsuckigumo Village."

"You get all that?" Sasuke asked Naruto, who'd been transcribing everything.

"More or less." Naruto answered before turning to Meizu. "He meant talk about why you attacked us."

"The old guy... We were ordered to kill the old guy." Meizu said quickly when Sasuke levelled Coyote-A at him.

"By who?" Kakashi asked, turning to glare at Tazuna.

"Zabuza Momochi. We work for Zabuza Momochi." Meizu told them. "But Gatō, of Gatō Company, is the client we're being paid by."

"This mission just became an A-Rank." Kakashi announced. "Zabuza Momochi, the Demon of the Hidden Mist, is a Jonin level Missing-Nin and well above your level. This mission is over!"

"Could you beat him?" Sasuke asked.

"Perhaps. But it would be close." Kakashi admitted.

"Well, we kicked you ass. It shouldn't be to tough." Sasuke stated before turning to Tazuna. "Lets get going."

"Hey I'm in charge here and you will do what I say!" Kakashi exclaimed as Naruto and Sakura followed Sasuke and Tazuna.

"Doesn't look that way to me." Meizu mocked.

"Shut up." Kakashi told him as he wrote out a quick mission update and summoned a dog to deliver it to Konoha. "Now sit here and wait. If you're lucky, ANBU will arrive before your brother dies from his injuries."

Random Road in Wave Country XX

"So... Who knows how to make rabbit stew?" Sasuke asked as he looked down at the small snow rabbit Naruto had killed with a shuirken.

"I could of sworn someone was there." Naruto defended himself.

"I'm serious. Who knows how to make rabbit stew?" Sasuke said.

"Everybody, get down!" Kakashi yelled as a huge cleaver embedded itself in a tree. "Well well... If it isn't Kiri's Missing-Nin Zabuza Momochi!"

"You appear to be Sharingan Kakashi." Zabuza growled. "Sorry, but the old man is-"

"Dibs!" Sasuke called.

"What's the big idea interrupting me?" Zabuza growled.

"I was calling Dibs." Sasuke said as he walked forward and drew Rebellion. He he was a few feet from the tree Sasuke stopped and turned back to his team. "That means you guys stay out of this!"

"First rule of being a Shinobi." Zabuza said as he brought the cleaver down onto Sasuke's shoulder, cutting straight through all the way to his hip bone. "Is never take your eyes off your opponent!"

"First rule of demon hunting... Never take your eyes off your opponent." Sasuke gasped before swinging Rebellion in the hope of returning the favour. "Unless you know it can't kill you."

With that Sasuke ripped Zabuza's blade from his body and hurled it behind him. Sasuke waited until his body had completely healed before rushing at Zabuza who was forced to dodge or block with kunai. When Zabuza managed to recover his sword the two clashed in an impressive display of swordsmanship. As the two separated after a while, Zabuza spoke.

"Not bad kid, you've got skill." Zabuza complemented. "What's your sword style? I don't recognise it."

"My sword style? I haven't begun to use it... Swordmaster!" Sasuke declared as his body flashed a deep red. He then charged and renewed his attacks, displaying even more skill then before. Seeing that he might be outclassed, Zabuza broke away.

"Too good. Have to just kill the old man and retreat." Zabuza muttered before moving to attack Tazuna. Naruto moved to block him. "Out of the way you little shit!"

"Little! WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO MINUTE THAT HE'S INVISIBLE TO THE NAKED EYE AND COULD BE STEPPED ON BY AN ANT!" Naruto roared as he struck Zabuza with a vicious headbutt. He then began to pummel the startled Kiri Nin. Caught off guard the only way Zabuza could think to do was throw Naruto into the nearby lake.

"What are the odds of all three being insanely overpowered?" Zabuza asked himself as he tried to attack Tazuna again, this time through Sakura. Although, in hindsight, the fact that Kakashi actually stepped away from her should of been a clue. As he brought the sword down, the Venom Symbiote formed around around her and allowed her to catch the blade with one hand. She then delivered a kick that sent Zabuza flying across the clearing and through a tree.

Whimpering and crawling away, Zabuza tried to escape the three Genin as they closed in. He silently thanked Haku when the senbon embedded themselves in his neck.

"Your...Your t-team..." Tazuna stammered from beside Kakashi.

"Yeah, I know... Welcome to my life." Kakashi told the terrified man. "Dammit! I didn't think to ask him if he would attempt the bell trick!"

_**XXXXX**_

_**I'm dyslexic, so please point out any mistakes in spelling or grammar [I spell things the way they do in England and Ireland, so some things may look off to Americans]. Please leave your opinion via review or send them via PM, I'd like to know what you think. Well, I think that's everything I've gotta say so, hope you enjoyed the chapter.**_

_**This is Highvalour saying bye and thanks for reading.**_


	11. Team Eight: My Way

_**Just an idea I had a while back. There are plenty of fics were Naruto ends up on a different team or Sasuke/Sakura is swapped for a different Genin, now a lot of them are good but most of the ones I've read never give the other team must focus [I'm sure there are loads of fics that do, but I've never read any and so can't comment on them]. So I decided to try writing a small intro to a fic were the other team is the focus. Like Chapter 5 ['A Different Action: Wave Arc'] I may decide to do more chapters set in the same world if you guys like this one enough to warrant it.**_

_**And yes, the title is a reference to 'Team 8' by S'TarKan.**_

_**Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto **_

_**XXXXX**_

XX Konoha Shinobi Academy XX

Sasuke wiped his mouth on an arm warmer and glared hatefully at the boy sitting in front of him. To his right Sakura Haruno beat the crap out of Naruto Uzumaki , blaming the blond idiot for what happened. Sasuke considered telling the girl that the boy he was glaring at was the one who caused it but realised that talking to her would only encourage her to keep annoying him.

A short while later the Chunin instructor, Iruka Umino, was able to get the class's attention and informed them that they would be divided into three man teams.

_'That only means more people in my way'_ Sasuke thought as he listened out for his name.

"Okay, next is Team Seven! Sakura Hanuro, Naruto Uzumaki and Shino Aburame." Iruka announced while reading off a sheet.

_'Better him than me.' _Sasuke thought as Sakura whined about not being on the same team as him.

"Okay Team Eight! Hinata Hyuuga, Kiba Inuzuka and Sasuke Uchiha." Iruka said, continuing down the list.

_'Not the worst team possible I guess.' _Sasuke thought as he turned to see where his team mates were sitting. '_Kiba did well in Taijutsu training and Hinata is a Hyuuga, which I guess most count for something.'_

XX A Park XX

Sasuke bit into one of the onigiri he'd bought as he waited for the rest of his 'team' to arrive. Their Sensei, Kurenai Yuhi, had arrived shortly after lunch and told them to meet her at a park on the far side of Konoha. he'd arrived first and so had decided to get something to eat from a nearby vendor.

Hinata was the next to arrive. She greeted him then took a seat on the bench beside him. The two sat in silence for a time, although Sasuke got the feeling Hinata wanted to start a conversation but just couldn't manage to. As the waited for Kiba to arrive Sasuke thought that it was nice sitting beside a girl his age and not having her drool all over him, figuratively or literally.

"Phew, we made it!" Kiba exclaimed as he rushed up to them. "Haha, and it looks like we beat Kurenai-sensei here."

"No, you didn't!" Sasuke told him after swallowing the remains of another onigiri. "You're the last one here."

"What? No, Sensei isn't here so we're not last!" Kiba declared, his puppy yelping in agreement.

Sasuke turned to Hinata only to see her looking around for the jonin.

_'They're worse than I imagined!' _Sasuke thought before turning and staring at a nearby tree. After a moment the tree seemed to ripple and fade, revealing Kurenai.

"Well done Sasuke. How did you know I was already here?" She asked as she made her way towards them.

"You weren't trying." Sasuke said. _'Genjutsu isn't her speciality, that's for sure!'_

"True." Kurenai agreed. "Now since I don't really know you why don't you introduce yourselves."

"Em... What do you want to know Kurenai-sensei?" Hinata asked.

"Well what are your likes and your dislike? What are your dreams for the future?" Kurenai answered. "tell you what, why don't I go first. My name is Kurenai Yuhi. I like relaxing in the evening and my favourite food is takowasa. I dislike fighting when it's unnecessary and I hate cake. My dream for the future... For now it's to see you become great shinobi."

_"Likes? Dislikes? Favourite food?' _Sasuke thought _'No hint of ability or skills. Just what is she good at?'_

Oh, oh we'll go next!" Kiba shouted. "I'm Kiba Inuzuka, and this is Akamaru! We like walking and training together. We both like beef jerky and hate things that aren't chewy. Our dream?... to be the best!"

_'He's loud, impulsive and a fool.' _Sasuke thought to himself, trying to sum up his team mates. _'The pup has seems to have more self control then him.'_

"It's nice to meet you both." Said Kurenai with a smile before turning to Hinata.

"Em... My name is Hinata Hyuuga." Hinata began, looking uneasy with being the centre of attention. "I-I like pressing flowers and Na... Em I don't really dislike much but I'm not really fond of shellfish. My dream is to... My dream is to repair my clan."

_'Repair her clan? What is she talking about?' _Sasuke wondered._ "I guess things aren't as great behind closed doors as the Hyuuga want us to think.'_

"A noble dream." Kurenai commented before looking to Sasuke.

"My name is Sasuke Uchiha. There are lots of things I dislike and I don't really like anything." Sasuke told them. "And... I can't really call it a dream... But I have an ambition. The resurrection of my clan and to kill a certain man!"

"Is that all there is to you?" Kurenai asked, concern and sadness in her voice. "Don't you have any hobbies? Don't you have anything you like doing? There must be something, even if it's just a food you like most!"

"No." Sasuke said coldly. _'I am what I am. An avenger... I don't have time for any of that.'_ "So what now? Do we do take a mission or are we going to start training?"

"I see." Kurenai said, the concern gone and replaced with pity. "Tomorrow we'll be doing survival training! It'll let me see your skills in action and decide if you guys are ready to be shinobi... Or if you need another year at the academy?"

"What! What do you mean 'ready to be shinobi'? We Passed!" Kiba yelled, startling a group of nearby birds.

"You've shown you have the minimum level of skill needed to graduate the academy." Kurenai told them. "But being a ninja, even just a genin, is much harder. On average, only nine of the twenty-seven who graduated are good enough to make it as shinobi. So there are survival tests held by the jonin in charge to see if the team is ready or if they need more time to grow and learn. Meet me tomorrow morning at the Forth Training Ground before nine A.M. I'll tell you what the training will consist of then."

_**XXXXX**_

_**Like I said, just an introduction. If you guys like it or think it might be good, let me know and I'll do more later.**_

_**If anyone gets a chance, read Kurenai's info from the Databooks [or look at the trivia section of her Naruto Wiki page]. Woman's got a drink problem!**_

_**I'm dyslexic, so please point out any mistakes in spelling or grammar [I spell things the way they do in England and Ireland, so some things may look off to Americans]. Please leave your opinion via review or send them via PM, I'd like to know what you think. Well, I think that's everything I've gotta say so, hope you enjoyed the chapter.**_

_**This is Highvalour saying bye and thanks for reading.**_


	12. Team Eight: Tested

_**Another chapter of this little series [I need to come up with a better name than 'Team Eight: My Way', suggestions welcome!]. Spent a good while chatting with Chash123 about the fic last night and just felt like writer more. **_

_**Hinata fans, bare with this. I'm not bashing but setting it up for later when she develops and starts to kick ass [Like I said before, I don't like to bash... Regardless of my opinions of the character].**_

_**Sasuke haters, don't get your hopes up. While he's a bit of a jerk right now, it's to contrast with his development later into a better person [Okay I admit he's more then just a 'bit of a jerk', but he has his moments of kindness as well].**_

_**Another chapter, another attempt to entertain you all. I honestly do not have anything else to add, so on with the show!**_

_**_**_**And yes, the title is a reference to 'Team 8' by S'TarKan.**_**_**_

_**Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto **_

_**XXXXX**_

XX Entrance To The Forth Training Ground XX

"Okay, the Survival Training is going to be in the form of a mock mission!" Kurenai told them once the trio had checked their equipment. "Behind me is a the Forth Training Ground. It is composed of a large and dense forest. Scattered throughout the forest are caves, buildings and encampments. I've hidden scrolls throughout each of these locations and set up traps to defend them. You have two hours to get in, find the intel and get out. You will each be graded on how quickly you return, how many scrolls you acquire and on the skills you display. Your end score will suffer for every trap you trigger or if the scrolls you return with are damaged. Whoever scores the highest will pass. The other two will be sent back to the academy."

"Wait, what?" Kiba roared, leaping to his feet and pointing an accusatory finger at her. "Yesterday you said if we passed we became real ninja! Now you're saying only one of us will pass, what gives?"

"Well yesterday all three of you could of passed." Kurenai answered with a shrug. "But last night a more experienced genin team was forced to disband. I was offered the chance to take over training the two remaining members and took it. Right now I'm just looking for a third genin to make up the numbers!"

_'More experienced genin?'_ Sasuke thought to himself as Kiba complained at how unfair that was. _'More experienced means more difficult training. More difficult training means I'll get stronger faster and be able to kill That man all the sooner!'_

"Ready?" Kurenai said, snapping Sasuke out of his thoughts. "Your two hours start... Now!"

With that the three rushed in.

XX Inside The Forth Training Ground XX

Kiba and Akamaru broke off first. Hoping to find the scrolls first and ensure they weren't sent back. Hinata however continued to follow Sasuke deeper into the forest. After nearly twenty minutes Sasuke came to a halt and turned to face her.

"Why are you following me?" He demanded.

"We-we're a team." Hinata told him.

"A team? Ha, didn't you listen?" Sasuke laughed at her. " Only one of us is passing. We aren't a team, we never were nor will we be."

B-but Iruka Sensei said..." Hinata began.

"He clearly didn't have a clue." Sasuke cut in. "Or he was lying to us and knew all along."

"B-but why w-would he lie?" Hinata asked. She seemed to be trying to hold back tears.

"You, you really are pathetic aren't you!" Sasuke sighed as he turned to leave. "You're part of the Hyuuga Clan and yet you act like you're some silly little civilian. Ha, you're a joke."

With that Sasuke ran ahead, neither seeing nor caring for the tears that trickled down Hinata's face. After a while Sasuke came across a small, deserted village. It was overgrown with plant life and some of the buildings had even begun to crumble. As he moved forward, ever alert for signs of traps, Sasuke noticed that the architecture of the buildings didn't match that of Konoha, or Fire Country, at all. As he neared the central building Sasuke stepped on, and snapped, a twig. Lunging to the side Sasuke managed to hide himself in one of the empty buildings just before three shinobi appeared.

_'Those forehead protectors!' _Sasuke noted._ 'they belong to Kumo!'_

As Sasuke planned to retreat and report the infiltration one of them, the sole kunoichi and only one with a flak jacket, turned revealing herself as a Hyuuga.

_'A trick!' _Sasuke realised. _'The forest most be littered with Konoha shinobi in disguise. But that seems like a lot of effort to go through just to test a bunch of academy graduates, is something else going on?'_

Once the shinobi returned to wherever they'd been hiding, Sasuke crept from his hiding spot and moved further into the village. In the central building, at the back of a darkened room, Sasuke found the scroll. Deciding to be cautious, he nudged it with a kunai. Nothing happened for a second before a seal beneath the scroll ignited and burned it to ashes.

"dammit. Booby trapped ." Sasuke muttered. As he turned to leave Sasuke saw that the embers illuminated the walls of the room, showing that they were covered in explosive tags. Explosive tags that had begun to fizzle. "Oh that's not fair!"

XX Inside The Forth Training Ground {With Kiba} XX

"What was that?" Kiba wondered as the whole forest shook and a deep rumble sounded off in the distance. "Come on Akamaru, lets see if we can find another scroll."

As the two moved on Kiba wondered if the others were okay? He managed to go for about five minutes before he stopped again.

"I messed up, didn't I boy?" He asked Akamaru. The puppy gave a soft whine in reply. "Yeah, I know... We gotta go back."

Turning back the way he'd come, Kiba took off at a mad dash and retraced his steps. He stopped regularly to sniff the air in the hope of catching either and caught their scent just to his right. Moving to find them Kiba found himself going around in circles as their scents were always to his right.

"Something isn't right, I can't smell properly... Can you boy?" Kiba asked as he set Akamaru down on the ground. While Akamaru sniffed the area trying to find a scent Kiba took a pack of beef jerky from his pooch. Ripping off the rapper Kiba sniffed it before taking a large bite out of it. "I can't smell this either. This must be one of the traps Kurenai-sensei was talking about! We gotta get out of here!"

Redoubling his pace and adjusting his path to take him back the way he'd originally come, Kiba tried to find his missing team mates. Soon he found himself at the edge of a large lake, a large lake that he was sure hadn't been there before. A startled yelp from Akamaru was all the warning Kiba got before a vicious kick collided with the side of his head. Recovering in mid air, Kiba handed facing his attack. Before him stood a trio of Kiri shinobi, the one who'd struck him was the only one to wear a flak jacket. Kiba was shocked to find the man had a distinct pair of dark red eyes.

"Those are the..." Was all he managed before the three enemies rushed him. Akamaru went down when struck by a gas bomb. Kiba put up as good a fight as he could but the larger and stronger shinobi easily overpowered him. When they finished beating him they dumped him in the lake and moved on.

XX Inside The Forth Training Ground {With Hinata} XX

Hinata had turned back a few minutes after Sasuke had left her behind. She'd heard the rumble behind her a while back and checked the area with her Byakugan but saw nothing that could of caused it. She didn't know how long she had been walking before the kunai grazed her cheek. Activating her Byakugan, Hinata saw a pair of shinobi and a kunoichi from Suna in a nearby tree. One of the shinobi, who was armed with a bow and arrow, had the appearance and markings of an Inuzuka. As he let fly a rapid barrage of arrows the other two began to rain kunai and shuriken down on her.

Using the field of vision granted by the Byakugan Hinata was able to avoid their attack and retreated back into the forest. She stumbled on the ruins of a small village, a smoking pile of rubble at it's centre. Lying near the rubble was Sasuke. Checking how close the Suna shinobi were Hinata ran to check on him.

"Sasuke! W-wake up Sasuke!" Hinata shouted as she shook his body.

"Urgh." Sasuke groaned as he woke up. It took him a second to focus and notice Hinata but as soon as he did he grabbed her and rolled to the side, shielding her from the blade of a Kumo dressed kunoichi's tanto. Drawing a kunai, Sasuke lashed out and forced the enemy kunoichi to fall back.

"A-are you okay?" Hinata asked as they both got to their feet.

"Yeah." Sasuke hissed, ignoring the pain from where the tanto had caught him. He scanned the area, noting the other two Kumo dressed shinobi coming to reinforce the kunoichi. "Have you met any other enemies?"

"T-there's three d-dressed as Suna shinobi. O-one of them is an I-Inuzuka with a bow." Hinata told him.

"Speaking of Inuzuka, have you seen Kiba?" Sasuke asked as he dodged a sword swipe from a tanto.

"No. We h-have to find him." Hinata said, trying to put some distance between herself and the sword wielding Hyuuga.

"Right!" Sasuke agreed as he ran through the hand seals for the 'Great Fireball Jutsu'. The burst of flame forcing the Kumo garbed enemies. Hinata and Sasuke turned and fled, hoping to find Kiba.

"I see Akamaru." Hinata declared as they tried to outrun the enemy shinobi. "He's lying up ahead on the edge of a small pool."

As they reached the pool Hinata tried to awaken Akamaru while Sasuke looked around for Kiba. Once he spotted the boy floating on the surface of the pool he waded in and dragged him out. After checking that Kiba was still breathing Sasuke shook him awake.

"Urgh." Kiba groaned as he woke up.

"Was it Kumo or Suna shinobi that got you?" Sasuke asked as he helped Kiba to his feet.

"Kiri." Kiba told him. "One of them... I think one of them must of been an Uchiha. He had a Sharingan."

"What?" Sasuke snapped.

"I saw his eyes... They were red and had black tomoe in them." Kiba said before adopting a fighting stance as the nine enemies reached them.

"This isn't right." Sasuke said. "Hyuuga don't use swords nor do Inuzuka use bows. We've gotta retreat and report this. The village could be at risk of infiltration."

"Yeah, but how do we escape without them catching us?" Kiba asked.

"S-someone will have to stay b-back and buy time." Hinata said. She was visibly shaking.

"I will." Sasuke muttered as he moved forward slightly.

"What? No I'll stay behind!" Kiba snapped as he and Akamaru prepared to fight.

"It makes the most sense for me to stay behind!" Sasuke pointed out. "Hinata's Byakugan means she'll see them closing in and you are the fastest out of the three. You'll have the best chance of fleeing!"

"And what be known as the guy that cost Konoha the Sharingan? Not a chance!" Kiba yelled.

"B-both of you g-go." Hinata said, taking several deep breaths to calm herself. "M-my Byakugan means I c-can keep fight all of t-them. B-beside both of you are w-wounded."

Before either of the boys could argue a loud siren sounded and the world seemed to dissolve into flower petals. The quartet found themselves sitting outside the training ground across from Kurenai. They exchanged confused looks.

"Time's up!" Kurenai told them. "Well done."

"A genjutsu!" Sasuke realised. "You put us under a genjutsu!"

"Yes. Yes I did." Kurenai admitted. "It was to test how you would deal with a mission in an unknown location against unknown enemies."

"there isn't any 'more experienced genin' is there?" Sasuke asked.

"No. It was a lie to see if you could put aside your personal issues for the sake of the mission. And you all failed." Kurenai told them. "Kiba, you rushed ahead and left your team mates behind just to that you could ensure you won. Sasuke, you abandoned Hinata because you thought she was worthless. You didn't even spare a second thought about either of your team mates, instead you were convinced you could manage fine on your own And Hinata, you gave up. You gave up before you even tried."

"So... I guess it's back to the academy then." Kiba sighed.

"No. I'm going to pass you." Kurenai told them.

"B-but why? You said we f-failed!" Hinata pointed out.

"I'm passing you for what you all did at the end." Kurenai told them. "Hinata, even though you were being pursued you still stopped to help Sasuke and you were the one who decided to look for Kiba. Sasuke, your first action on waking up was to shield Hinata from a tanto. You then waded into the pool, where you would be exposed and have your mobility limited, to help Kiba. Each without a second of hesitation. Kiba, although you were the first to go off alone you were also the only one to try and regroup before things got bad."

"So we showed we can work together, we still failed the mission." Sasuke argued.

"Partially. The scroll you found was destroyed by the trap but the one Kiba found was still intact." Kurenai countered. "And you did something else during the mission. You recognised a potential threat to Konoha and tried to send out a warning. Sasuke as soon as you realised that you were willing to stay behind to ensure the others survived and warned the village. Kiba, Hinata both of you were willing to die to ensure the others survived and delivered the message as well. You all passed, congratulations. Meet me across from the amaguriama shop near the main gate tomorrow at Nine A.M to begin your careers as ninja."

"So..." Kiba began once Kurenai was gone. "We passed because Sasuke is paranoid and we were to stubborn to let the other let the others preform the heroic sacrifice?"

"L-looks like it." Hinata agreed.

"If anyone asks we lie!" Sasuke said before heading home.

_**XXXXX**_

_**Okay so I put in about seven hints that things weren't right before the genjutsu ended, can you find them all? [One for free, no way you could convince a Hyuuga to dress up as a Kumo ninja considering the history there]**_

_**I'm dyslexic, so please point out any mistakes in spelling or grammar [I spell things the way they do in England and Ireland, so some things may look off to Americans]. Please leave your opinion via review or send them via PM, I'd like to know what you think. Well, I think that's everything I've gotta say so, hope you enjoyed the chapter.**_

_**This is Highvalour saying bye and thanks for reading.**_


	13. The Aftermath: Kakashi

_**A while back I wrote a real short chapter that saw Sasuke acquire the Mangekyo Sharingan during the events of 'Wave Arc'. Thought I might try and write a short follow up dealing with the aftermath.**_

_**Another chapter, another attempt to entertain you all. I honestly do not have anything else to add, so on with the show! **_

_**Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto **_

_**XXXXX**_

XX Tazuna's House XX

It had been two days since the battle at the bridge and Kakashi felt that they should begin the trek back to Konoha. He'd heard Tazuna and some of the other villagers talking earlier that day. It seemed they wanted to name the bridge in Naruto's honour. They wanted to ensure that his death, his sacrifice, was remembered as long as Wave Country remained.

Kakashi turned to the three scrolls he had yet to pack. Two contained the results from Sasuke's new eyes. The other... the other contained the body of Naruto Uzumaki.

"It's eerie, just how right you were about having your name inscribed there." Kakashi said to the scroll, remembering Naruto's ill-informed declaration that his name would be carved on the memorial. Kakashi had sent Pakkun back to Konoha yesterday with a report of what had happened. Kakashi didn't expect to remain in command of Team Seven, his record more or less assured he wouldn't face to hard a punishment for allowing things to go so bad but there was no way he'd be trusted to lead a mission again. "How did things go so wrong? I've commanded missions with worse odds... So why did it go so wrong?"

Kakashi knew the answer to that one, the team! He'd run missions far harder than this in ANBU, but that was with ANBU working under him. These genin just weren't as good as the shinobi he was use to working with and he'd forgotten that. He forgotten he wasn't working with highly trained and experienced ninja who knew how to deal with A-Rank Missing-Nin. But as well as that, he'd forgotten that Team Seven wasn't Team Minato. At a first glance they were mirror copies of each other, but when you looked they couldn't be more different.

Sasuke was talented like he'd been. Sasuke was also reserved and had suffered tragedy. But Kakashi's paled in comparison. While Kakashi had found his father's body, Sasuke had been forced to mentally relive the murder of his entire clan. The kind of mental scarring that caused was beyond imagination... And of course, their was the difference in ability. Sasuke was good but Kakashi had been at that level when he was five.

With Sakura the only real similarity was the crushes. Like Rin she had a crush on the 'genius' while the 'loser' crushed on her. But unlike Rin, Sakura lacked any real skill or willingness to work together.

Naruto was a carefree and had a good heart, like Obito, but he lacked the training or support Obito had. Thinking about them sent a wave of unease through Kakashi. While there was only a passing similarity in personality, their fate was scarily similar. Both died on Kakashi's first real command, either as a jonin or as a sensei, both had taken a fatal blow for another and both gave that person cursed eyes.

"Cursed eyes." Kakashi muttered, remembering Obito's grandfather and how he described the Sharingan at the memorial service. The old man had recounted how, over the years, his childhood memories had slowly faded but the sights his Sharingan had seen always stayed with him. He'd told Kakashi how he could visualise the face of a Suna shinobi, not much older than Kakashi, that had been caught by the man's Great Fireball Jutsu during the Second Shinobi World War and how the boy's agonised face was carved, in perfect detail, into his memory. It was true as well, the first thing Kakashi saw after the transplant was Obito's crushed, but still living, body. And now Sasuke had the Mangekyo... Kakashi had read what he could find on it after the massacre. He had learned how it was was acquired, he'd learned what powers it offered and he'd learned what price it demanded for that power.

Packing the scrolls away Kakashi checked to ensure he had all their personal belongings and left to find his two remaining students.

_**XXXX**_

_**I'd originally planned for Kakashi to sit there depressed and than go speak with Sasuke but things kind of ran away. The thing about Obito's grandfather is based on something someone posted over on Tvtropes under Fridge Horror. It was that since the Sharingan let you take in and memorise what you see, all your happy or normal memories [that you'd form when the eyes weren't active] would fade over time while all the horrible things seen with it active [friends or enemies being killed] would remain... Any wonder the Uchiha were warlike in the past? Most of the older members probably were hoping to die and end it all.**_

_**Anyway I'll write how Sasuke or Sakura is dealing with what happened another time. I don't plan to make this an actual story, just plan to show the aftermath for the rest of Team Seven.**_

_**I'm dyslexic, so please point out any mistakes in spelling or grammar [I spell things the way they do in England and Ireland, so some things may look off to Americans]. Please leave your opinion via review or send them via PM, I'd like to know what you think. Well, I think that's everything I've gotta say so, hope you enjoyed the chapter.**_

_**This is Highvalour saying bye and thanks for reading.**_


	14. The Legend of Team Nightmare Is Born

_**Right, let's wrap up the 'Wave Arc' and see if we how things go for Gatō. Any of you read Lucillia's work? Brilliant and funny writer who's work gave me an idea for a good joke for later.**_

_**Another chapter, another attempt to entertain you all. I honestly do not have anything else to add, so on with the show! **_

_**Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto .**_

_**Fullmetal Alchemist belongs to Hiromu Arakawa**_

_**Devil May Cry belongs to Capcom**_

_**Venom belongs to Marvel Comics**_

_**XXXXX**_

XX Random Road in Wave Country XX 

"Thank you very much." The masked ninja called from the three he was hidden in. "I have been searching for the opportunity to kill Zabuza for a long time"

"The hell!" Sasuke roared. "No body ever tell you it's rude to kill steal?"

"I'm sorry." The masked ninja said, a bit surprised at Sasuke's reaction. "I am a Hunter-Nin from Kiri. I have been tasked with killing the Missing-Nin Zabuza Momochi, thank you for weakening him for me. I must now dispose of the body as it contains many secrets!"

"Yeah whatever." Naruto said as he began rooting though Zabuza's pockets. "First we're gonna loot it. I call his wallet!"

"We want his supplies!" Sakura said as she moved to join Naruto.

"Leave me the forehead protector!" Sasuke yelled as he picked up the man's sword and rested it across his shoulders.

"Wait! Stop! Those are property of Kiri!" The masked ninja yelled in panic

"Well this isn't Kiri. So shut up!" Sasuke snapped as he finished tying Zabuza's forehead protector to his belt. "What do you think guys? Start of a collection?"

"Looks good." Sakura told him as she stored all of Zabuza's scrolls in the symbiote. "Looks a little bare though. We think you should add more!"

"Yeah, your belt can be our trophy rack!" Naruto agreed as he counted Zabuza's money.

"Shouldn't you stop them?" Tazuna asked Kakashi. "I mean it isn't very respectful."

"Konoha is a shinobi village, not a samurai clan!" Kakashi pointed out. "Respecting our enemy's corpse isn't something we normally do... Besides do you want to tell them to put that stuff back?"

"Nope!" Tazuna gulped quickly, watching as Naruto and Sasuke tossed the nearly naked corpse of their foe at the Hunter-Nin.

"Thought so." Kakashi said as the Hunter-Nin vanished with the corpse. "something is wrong here, I'm just not sure what?"

"What? Like the fact that the highly skilled jonin is constantly being shown up by the rookies?" Sasuke joked as the trio approached with their newly acquired gear. "You any good with storage seals?"

"Yeah, why?" Kakashi asked as the group set off towards Tazuna's house. "And it isn't that!"

"Sure it isn't." Naruto agreed sarcastically. "And I'd imagine he wants you to store that sword for him."

"Yeah, I mean I look kinda dumb walking around with two huge swords." Sasuke said. "And you sure it isn't that we keep showing you up?"

"Yes I'm sure it isn't that you keep showing me up!" Kakashi snapped. "Forget it, can't be that important anyway."

XX Nearby Clearing XX

"Are you okay Master Zabuza?" Haku asked as he removed the senbon from the man's neck.

"Nothing is bruised apart from my ego, my ribs, my chest, my biceps, my quads, a few internal organs and my left pinkie." Zabuza answered before looking down at himself to inspect the damage. "... Why did you strip me?"

"I... I didn't." Haku admitted. "Those Konoha shinobi looted your 'corpse'. I tried to stop them but the dark-haired one tried to behead me with your Executioner's Blade every time I tried to get close. I'm sorry."

"It's fine. To get away with just this mild humiliation after facing such a team is okay." Zabuza grunted as he sat up.

What do you mean Master Zabuza?" Haku asked.

"That boy! The way he fought, the power and aggression. He was clearly of Konoha's infamous Uchiha Clan! But the way he healed..." Zabuza explained. "It was beyond anything Tsunade of the Sannin is known for. In fact, the only man I've ever heard of that could heal that way was Hashirama Senju."

"The First Hokage?" Haku gasped.

"Yes. And if Konoha has managed to combined his physical power and healing with the innate combat abilities and eyes of the Uchiha, I think avoiding any action that draws their ire would be wise." Zabuza warned. "And than there was the girl, you saw the clan markings right?"

"The circles?" Haku guessed. "I-I don't recognise that clan symbol."

"Not on the dress, on the thing she became!" Zabuza snapped. "It was the spider crest of the Tsuchigumo clan, I'm sure of it... That means she must be the barer of their kinjutsu! And with Kakashi Hatake there as well, you have no idea how lucky we were Haku."

"I-I see!" Haku stuttered, realising just how powerful that team had truly been. "But what of the blond one?"

"Him... I'm not sure." Zabuza admitted as he staggered back towards their hideout. "But you can be sure of one thing... If he's on that team, he must be a real powerhouse as well."

"Of course." Haku agreed. "What do we do now?"

"We return to base, gather everything we can and retreat." Zabuza told him. "I heard Yuki is recruiting. With my combat record and your Bloodline, we should have no trouble getting high ranking positions."

XX Tazuna's House XX

"You're all going to die!" Inari said simply. "There's no way you can win against Gatō."

"Charming kid you got there." Sasuke said to Tsunami once her son stormed off. Reaching into his pack, Sasuke removed a large bottle of whiskey. "So anyway. I think that our victory against our first A-Rank shinobi, who isn't from Konoha and meant to be training us, deserves a little celebration. Hey old guy, got any glasses?"

"Eh... I'll go check." Tazuna said before hurrying to the kitchen in search of glasses.

"You're not old enough to drink!" Tsunami said as she tried to take the whiskey from him. She froze when Sasuke pressed Coyote-A into her stomach.

"Konoha thinks I'm old enough to work for it's reputation, kill for it's glory and die for it's cause... So I think I'm old enough to enjoy myself!" Sasuke told her before holstering Coyote-A. Once she'd backed away enough Sasuke turned to Kakashi. "You want some?"

"Yeah... Why not." Kakashi sighed, feeling a headache beginning to form.

"Here, they're all I could find." Tazuna said coming back in with four small glasses.

"Not a problem. I'll drink from the bottle." Sasuke laughed before filling the four glasses to the brim. "Now a toast... We're alive, the other guy isn't. Good day!"

With that Sasuke brought the bottle to his lips and began to gulp down the alcohol. Tazuna, a hard drinker himself and not wanting to be shown up by a kid, downed his glass in one go. Kakashi, also not wanting to be shown up, did his usual trick of lowering his mask, downing the drink in one go and returning his mask to it's normal position. Both regretted trying to drink like the Uchiha as the burning sensation of the whiskey caused them to spray the drink back out and break into a coughing fit. Tazuna covered the small table they were sitting around in saliva and whiskey while Kakashi's mask prevented him from spraying anything other than itself.

Naruto and Sakura, both more familiar with their Uchiha team mate's alcoholic preferences, wisely sipped at the liquid. As the group relaxed Naruto asked Tsunami what was the deal with Inari and why he was convinced that Gatō was unbeatable.

"Inari had a father, not related by blood but they were very close. Like a real father and son. Inari use to laugh a lot back then... But that all changed with the incident." Tazuna said staring down into his empty glass. "The word 'courage' has been stolen from the people of this island. And from Inari... All because of Kaiza and the incident."

"What incident? And who is this Kaiza" Sakura asked leaning forward to empty her glass into his own.

"Thank you." Tazuna said before he explained who Kaiza was and how he became such an important part of Inari's life. "Kaiza was called a hero by the people of the city. Inari couldn't of been prouder of his father. But Gatō came to the city..."

"What happened?" Naruto asked. "What did Gatō do?"

"In front of everyone, Kaiza was put to death by Gatō." Tazuna told them. "He cut off Taiza's arms and then killed him in front of the whole village. Inari... Inari saw the man he called father die. He saw his hero cut down."

"Hehe, nice story. This Gatō guy sounds like my kind of guy." Sasuke said, his voice cold and harsh. The air grew heavy, tainted with bloodlust and a desire to hurt. To kill. To destroy. A red haze had begun to radiate from his body and his eyes seemed to have developed a yellowish hue. "where's he hang out anyway?"

"H-He's taken over the governor's manor on the north side of the island." A terrified Tsunami squeaked out when Tazuna couldn't find the words to do so himself.

"Cool." Sasuke growled. He set the half empty bottle on the table and made his way to the door, pausing long enough to put on his shoes. "I'm gonna go for a walk. You gonna be okay to hold down the fort sensei?"

"A quick walk before dinner sounds good." Naruto said, rising and putting his coat on. "I think I'll come with."

"We drank to much. We could do with some air." Sakura announced as she rose as well. "We'll come with you as well."

Once they had entered the forest near Tazuna's house they stopped. Sakura's symbiote formed around her and Sasuke's body flashed yellow, entering his Trickster style. Sakura crouched slightly and Naruto climbed on, wrapping his arms around her neck. Once he was secure she lunged towards the nearest tree, sticking to it and climbing. Once she was high enough Sakura leapt and began to swing from tree to tree using her webbing. Sasuke just started running for a moment before he broke into a mad dash, reaching speeds rarely matched by those who did not wear green spandex.

As the trio moved north Kakashi poured himself, Tazuna and Tsunami three large glasses of whiskey. Pulling his mask down to his collar and letting out a sigh, Kakashi took a long sip of whiskey.

"M-Mom... W-What was that?" Inari asked when he entered the room a short while later, still clearly shaken by simply feeling Sasuke's display.

"Proof" Kakashi told Inari as he refilled his own and Tazuna's glasses. "This stuff isn't that bad actually."

"Yeah." Tazuna agreed.

"Proof of what?" Inari asked.

"Simple." Kakashi answered. "That heroes exist. They exist even when they look like monsters."

XX Governor's Manor XX 

"So, that's the plan I got." Naruto told Sasuke and Sakura as they hid just beyond the tree line and out of sight of Gatō's thug lookouts. "You guys sure you're okay with it?"

"As long as it works, I don't care." Sasuke snapped. Still in a bad mood.

"We'll do it, but you agree that it is ours next time?" Sakura hissed. She was still angry after hearing Tazuna's tale.

"Yeah, no problem." Naruto agreed. When Sasuke just grunted Naruto turned to him. "What's wrong with you?"

"No one should wave to watch a parent be executed." Sasuke snarled. "No one should have their memories of their hero broken, tainted, like that. That Gatō would do that pisses me off."

"We'll get him. We'll get him and make him sorry for it." Naruto promised before turning to Sakura. "Better get moving."

"Right." She said before using the symbiote's camouflage ability to vanish from view.

Taking a deep breath Naruto focused and clapped his hands together. When he felt the power of his alchemy he slammed his palms to the ground and manipulated the earth. The walls and guard towers were torn apart as the ground beneath them exploded upward like water from a geyser. As the mercenaries Gatō was paying to assist him in terrorising the citizens scrambled about, trying to find the attackers, Naruto slammed his hands down again. This time the earth beneath many of them shot up as eight inch earthen spikes, impaling the legs of many. With the enemy's number cut, and the remainder in a panic, Naruto created a spear and entered the manor grounds. Picking his target Naruto threw his spear. It embedded itself in the chest of a large thug, drawing the attention of the other mercenaries and thugs to Naruto. Quickly making another spear, Naruto began to cut a bloody path through them. The occasional bang told Naruto that Sasuke was gunning down anyone who tried to escape, as he'd agreed to. Very soon the bangs began to come quicker, Gatō's little army had realised they were outclassed and began to flee. This made them easy targets for Sasuke's Gunslinger style. Soon no one was left.

"Whoever you are, I can pay you handsomely." Gatō pleaded once Sakura dumped him at Naruto's feet. "I'm a very rich man and can give you anything you want... Just let me go, please?"

"Who said we want money?" Sasuke asked as he approached through the dust. The haze and hue had returned and mad him look like the devil itself, come to claim Gatō for his crimes. "You've done terrible things to the people of this island. You've taken their money. You've taken their freedom. You've taken their courage. And you see, we can't have that... We won't have that!"

"W-What do y-you people want?" Gatō whimpered, tears running down his checks.

"What do we want?" Sasuke asked, sharing a laugh with Naruto, who'd removed his coat to check on his automail arm, and Sakura, who was leaning over Gatō and dripping saliva on him. "We want you to pay the devil his due!"

_**XXXXX**_

_**And that's that. I'm sure all you Zabuza and Haku fans are delighted that I decided to let them live to see another day, and considering where you are going maybe see another chapter down the line.**_

_**One of my favourite plots in humour fics is the one were someone sees/hears/learns something important but comes to the wrong, but somewhat understandable, conclusion. They than tell others this conclusion and it spreads, sometimes even being expanded on or twisted, until everyone but the people who could correct it know and believe it. That's what will happen here. Zabuza will mention he'd met an Uchiha that has the healing ability of Hashirama Senju. This will, through retelling by others, become Zabuza fought an Uchiha with the abilities of Hashirama Senju. Another is that he also fought a Tsuchigumo kunoichi who had their secret kinjutsu [he fought a kunoichi with a powerful hidden jutsu and what looked like the Tsuchigumo clan crest]. The few survivors of Gatō's mercenary army will tell of the third member of that group. A blond who fought against and beat an army of thugs and mercenaries that had backup from ronin samurai [which becomes the blond who fought an army of ronin samurai and later it was an army of actual samurai]. **_

_**While it's similar, the idea I got from Lucillia's work is different and will lead to many funny "wait what?" moments from those who know the truth but can't correct anyone.**_

_**I'm dyslexic, so please point out any mistakes in spelling or grammar [I spell things the way they do in England and Ireland, so some things may look off to Americans]. Please leave your opinion via review or send them via PM, I'd like to know what you think. Well, I think that's everything I've gotta say so, hope you enjoyed the chapter.**_

_**This is Highvalour saying bye and thanks for reading.**_


	15. Team Nightmare Meet The Competition

_**Okay, quick note/message to Immortalis Cruor Elf. If you leave "update soooooon!" as a review to one of my fics again I will block you, okay? This is because you leave it, and only it, every time you review. And most of the time that is less than twelve hours after I've just posted the chapter in question. Hell you once left that review, on chapter 24 of Mischief Managed, less than half an hour after I posted the chapter! Seriously dude, give me a break. Wait a day or two before asking for more because every time I see "update soooooon!" from you I feel like going 'fuck you, I think I will wait an extra week before updating now'.**_

_**We apologise for the interruption and now back to your regularly scheduled programming. Another chapter, another attempt to entertain you all. I honestly do not have anything else to add, so on with the show! **_

_**Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto .**_

_**Fullmetal Alchemist belongs to Hiromu Arakawa**_

_**Devil May Cry belongs to Capcom**_

_**Venom belongs to Marvel Comics**_

_**XXXXX**_

XX Hokage's Office XX

"And that is everything... You haven't left anything out?" Sarutobi asked as he set aside Kakashi's report on his team's first 'C-Rank' mission. "You haven't lied to make your students look good? Or to cover your own ass seeing as how you willingly, and knowingly, brought three rookie genin on what turned out to be an A-Ranked mission?"

"No sir. Everything in there is exactly as it occurred!" Kakashi answered.

"Bullshit!" Was Sarutobi elegant reply. "Apart from Naruto's newly emerged issues in relation to his height and Sasuke Uchiha's new, 'trigger happy', attitude no one else has seen anything to confirm your claims of 'insanely talented Earth Manipulation', 'regenerating blood knight tendencies' or 'black skinned hellspawn'. Now, I'll ask one more time... What really happened?"

"It's all true." Kakashi told him. "My genin crippled the Demon Brothers, fought off Zabuza Momochi and killed Gatō of Gatō Company."

"So you expect me to believe that..." Sarutobi began as he reopened the report and read aloud. "Sasuke called 'dibs' on Zabuza Momochi, was nearly cut in half and than proceeded to overwhelm the leader of the previous 'Seven Swordsmen of Kiri'? That he radiated a power fouler than the Kyuubi or that Naruto managed to slaughter Gatō's mercenary army?"

"That's what happened." Kakashi ground out, sick of no one believing him.

"Fine, you can go." Sarutobi sighed. "Wait a minute. Your report said Sasuke took Zabuza's Executioner's Blade, what has he done with it?"

"Mounted it on his wall I think." Kakashi answered from the door. "It's covered in cracks and chipped from the fight... That sword of his can't be natural. He's used it to do things no normal person could."

"Maybe it's magic!" Sarutobi muttered. "Maybe that's why he managed to do that stupid 'bell trick' of yours?"

"Of course!" Kakashi exclaimed before rushing off. "It must be that sword. I'll get him to try with normal swords right now!"

"Dammit Kakashi!" Sarutobi called after the jonin. "I was being sarcastic."

XX Streets of Konoha XX

"Well that was dull." Naruto complained as Team Seven finished their latest mission. "When can we do a real mission again?"

"As soon as the rest of the village believes me when I say that you all are insanely powerful." Kakashi sighed before turning to Sasuke. "And that might happen if you showed you can cut bells when I ask you to."

"I'm not a preforming monkey!" Sasuke snapped. "Besides, it's not my fault none of you have the basic skills required to cut something with a bladed weapon."

"We can! It's just no one can make the cuts that thin!" Kakashi told him before noticing a messenger hawk overhead. "Right, well I gotta go and hand in the report."

"Right. I'm gonna go get something to eat, see you guys later." Sasuke said as he turned to leave. "Oh and Naruto, the brat with the scarf is back."

"Huh? Dammit Konohamaru, rocks aren't perfect squares! Nor do they have eye holes!" Naruto sighed.

"Hey Boss, wanna play ninja with us?" Konohamaru asked.

"Not right now." Naruto answered but seeing the children's faces fall was quick to add. "I am on my way to the BBQ restaurant, you guys want to come?"

"You bet Boss!" Konohamaru yelled before turning and running off. "Race you there."

"Haha, okay you get a ten second head start!" Naruto called after the three kids.

"The innocence of youth." Sakura sighed as she watched the three kids rush off. "We hope they can keep that for as long as possible."

"Here's hoping." Naruto agreed before holding up a wallet. "You wanna come, Zabuza's paying?"

When the two of them caught up with Konohamaru and his friends were being threatened by a black clad teen from Suna. He had a grip of Konohamaru by the scarf and was preparing to punch the boy.

"Oi! Leave him alone!" Naruto ordered.

"Put him down!" Sakura hissed.

"Huh? Konoha genin, weak." The boy said dismissively. Behind him stood an older, blonde haired girl.

"Kankuro, leave it." The girl told him. "You're just gonna cause trouble for later."

"I hate brats, especially rude brats." The boy snapped. "So I'm gonna teach this brat a lesson and after that I'll teach that blond brat one too."

A blur of red rushed past and snatched Konohamaru from the boy's hand before his fist could connect with the child's face. As he came skidding to a halt beside his team mates, Sasuke dropped Konohamaru on his ass and turned to face the boy.

"Something tells me you ain't from around here." Sasuke sneered as he reached up to grip Rebellion's handle. Beside him Sakura adjusted her stance, so she could lunge forward and strike, while Naruto put his hands together, in case he needed to use Alchemy. "So, what the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Talk about clueless." The girl sighed as she removed a pass from a kunai pouch. "We're here for the Chunin Exams, duh."

"I figured that's why you were in the village." Naruto lied easily. "I think my friend meant what are you doing here about to punch the Hokage's grandson?"

"Yeah, they don't give out passes that let you hurt the Hokage's grandson!" Sakura pointed out.

"And trust me, I've tried to get one." Sasuke added, causing Konohamaru to shoot him a dirty look.

"I don't know how things work in Suna, but here trying to attack our Kage's grandkid tends to be treated as an act of war!" Naruto told them as he shared a glance with Sasuke, who had a large smile forming on his face.

"Which is great for us, since we were just complaining about how dull things were around here." Sasuke laughed as he rushed forward, drawing Rebellion and thrusting it forward to impale the boy. He'd of managed it too if a blast of sand hadn't knocked Kankuro out of the way, and into the fence beside him. Sasuke stopped the tip of Rebellion less than an inch from the girl's chest, Sasuke then took a moment to look her up and down several times. "Nice!"

"W-What?" She asked taken aback by his comment. Now she knew guys checked her out and that she had a nice body, but usually those guys weren't as obvious when they did it... Nor were they usually look to be about the same age as her youngest brother. Speaking of said brother, she turned to were the sand came from. "Gaara?"

"You're an embarrassment to our village Kankuro!" The boy, Gaara, snapped as he landed down beside the girl. "Sorry for any trouble he caused."

"B-but Gaara, they started it!" Kankuro whined. "T-tell him Temari."

"Shut up... Or I'll kill you." Gaara told the older boy.

"Dammit, what is it with people kill stealing on us?" Sasuke asked his team mates. "I mean there was that guy from Kiri and now this guy!"

"Your eyes... Your eyes are like mine!" Gaara growled at Sasuke.

"Actually my iris are black. It's why you can't notice the pupil." Sasuke corrected as he made his way back to his team mates. "You've got some kinda Yamanaka thing going on... How do you see without a pupil anyway?"

"Funny... What's your name?" Gaara growled again, not looking like he found it funny at all.

"Sasuke, Sasuke Uchiha." Sasuke introduced himself with a mocking bow. "And behind me are Sakura Haruno and Naruto Uzumaki. What's your name?"

"Gaara of the Desert. They are Temari and Kankuro" Was the reply as Gaara turned to leave. "Sasuke Uchiha, I'll enjoy killing you."

"Good luck!" Sasuke yelled after him. "You'll need it!"

XX Hokage's Office XX

" I, Kakashi Hatake, nominate the Kakashi led Team Seven, Sasuke Uchiha, Naruto Uzumaki and Sakura Haruno for the Chunin Exams." Kakashi announced in an emotionless voice. Inside however he was dancing. If they passed than he wouldn't need to train them and could do something less stressful and risky, like rejoin the ANBU.

"Hold on a minute!" Iruka interrupted after Kurenai and Asuma nominated their teams as well.

"What is it Iruka?" Sarutobi asked.

"Those nine were my students at the academy." Iruka explained. "Now they are talented, but it's too early for them to take the exam, they need more experience!"

"I don't know." Asuma spoke up. "Might scare my lot into actually trying."

"I can't think of many other ways to get them combat experience in a semi-controlled environment." Kurenai added."

"They are not ready!" Iruka argued. "Are you trying to crush these kids?"

"I'll handle this." Kakashi said in a tired voice. Turning to Iruka he raised his forehead protector, revealing his Sharingan. "You agree with Kakashi! His team is ready! Sasuke Uchiha can do the 'bell trick' with any blade you give him!"

"I agree with Kakashi! His team is ready! Sasuke Uchiha can do the 'bell trick' with any blade you give him!" Iruka repeated in a dead tone. His eyes glazed over.

"hehe, I didn't think that would actually work." Kakashi admitted before thinking of another order to give. "Go get me a sandwich."

As Iruka walked away to get Kakashi a sandwich, Sarutobi buried his head in his hands and groaned.

"Kakashi, don't hypnotise the Chunin." He ordered. "Now are all three of you sure?"

"Yes, the experience will do them good!" Kurenai answered.

"Yeah. With a bit of luck they'll start actually training." Asuma answered.

"If it gets them out of my hair, I'll kill the competition myself!" Kakashi announced, drawing some dodgy looks.

"Ugh." Sarutobi groaned again. He made a mental note to get himself some medicinal for his pipe once the meeting was over.

XX Konoha Academy XX

"So the exam's being held here?" Sasuke asked as he met up with his team.

"Yeah." Naruto answered. "hey Sakura, what did you do to Iruka Sensei?"

"He attacked us in disguise." Sakura told them. "The doctors said he'll recover."

"Why did he attack you?" Sasuke asked as they moved towards the doors.

"Hell if we know!" Sakura answered with a shrug.

"Huh, well you guys looking forward to this? I know I am." Sasuke laughed before kicking the doors of the academy in. "It promises to be one hell of a party!"

_**XXXXX**_

_**Okay, I'm gonna leave it there for now. What did you guys think? Were the Sand Siblings in character?**_

_**Oh and Immortalis Cruor Elf, I meant it. One more "update soooooon!" and I'll block you!**_

_**I'm dyslexic, so please point out any mistakes in spelling or grammar [I spell things the way they do in England and Ireland, so some things may look off to Americans]. Please leave your opinion via review or send them via PM, I'd like to know what you think. Well, I think that's everything I've gotta say so, hope you enjoyed the chapter.**_

_**This is Highvalour saying bye and thanks for reading.**_


	16. The Aftermath: Sakura

_**Follow up to chapters Five and Thirteen. Wanna get these scenes out of my head, free up space for something else.**_

_**Another chapter, another attempt to entertain you all. I honestly do not have anything else to add, so on with the show! **_

_**Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto **_

_**XXXXX**_

XX Random Road In Fire Country XX

The three shinobi had been moving in silence since daybreak. Kakashi-sensei said, if they kept up the same pace, they would reach Konoha by evening. That's all he'd said. Almost the entire journey home had been made in silence, and it felt wrong. There was no Naruto, no Naruto to gasp in wide-eyed wonder at the sights. No Naruto to ask questions or make silly jokes. No Naruto to keep bugging her every five minutes for a date.

_'I'd say yes as well... If it meant he was here.' _Sakura thought. She looked back on how, even though she'd mocked and even hit him, he always came back with that goofy smile and asked her out. You couldn't keep him down. Even when he went and tried to graduate early and failed, twice, he still kept going. Graduating from the academy, doing those silly D-Ranked missions, it didn't matter to him because he always gave it his all. As the group continued on Sakura reflected on everything. On her skills, on her performance as a kunoichi and on the life she was facing. _'Was Kakashi-sensei right? Should we have just given up when we failed to get the bells? We-I underestimated what it meant to be a ninja. I thought it would be great fun and... and if anything went wrong Sasuke would save me.'_

As her thoughts turned to Sasuke, Sakura found herself staring at his back. She watched him, not because of some silly crush but because she was worried for him. She had family, she could drop out of the shinobi program and get a job working with them... Who did he have, his family was gone and he had no friends. No one outside the team.

_'If I left, what would he do?' _Sakura though to herself, before her thoughts darkened._ "Or... Or would he even care?'_

As hard as she tried, Sakura couldn't shake the thought. Sasuke didn't care for her or any of the girls their age. Despite what he'd said, Sasuke didn't really seem to care about restoring his clan. All he wanted to do was get strong... Get strong enough to kill some person. Although he hadn't said it, she knew he was talking about the other Uchiha. His older brother Itachi.

_'If I just stopped, would he even notice?'_ She wondered as she slowed her pace. She let the distance between herself and the other two grow. _'Kakashi-sensei is so caught up in everything as well... Would either notice if I just turned back? If I disappeared ? If I ran, ran from Konoha and the difficulties of being a ninja?'_

_'WHAT?'_ bellowed that small part of herself that always wanted to speak her mind, even when she knew it'd rude._ 'After I spent ages thinking back on, and admiring how, Naruto never gave up I plan to quit?'_

_'I'm not Naruto.'_ Sakura argued._ 'I'm not strong. I don't want to die. I-I don't want to see team mates die.'_

_'Well it looks like I have to become strong.' _That little voice snapped. _'I'll have to become strong so I don't die. I'll have to become strong so my team mates don't die. I'll become strong to protect them!'_

_'I'm not strong... I can't.' _Sakura thought, silent tears pooling in her eyes._ 'I- I can't do it. I can't face it. I don't have a choice, I'm gonna quit when we get back.'_

_'I have a choice.' _The voice stated clearly._ 'I move forward, I grow stronger and I live. Or I quit, I become a civilian and I survive.'_

"I really don't have a choice." Sakura sobbed. She decided she'd tell Kakashi when they reached Konoha.

_**XXXXX**_

_**Okay, before I go any further I have to say this. I've only realised just how much this fic owes [in relation to inspiration and basic concept] to 'Without Naruto' by Lucillia. I mean I realised it had a similar starting point [Naruto dying] shortly after writing Chapter Five, but it wasn't until I finished writing this chapter that I realised the only real difference is who we [Lucillia and myself] think the rest of Team Seven would deal with it. If you haven't read her fic, go do so as it is very good.**_

_**A bit longer than Kakashi's aftermath. That's kinda weird because Kakashi had to deal with the grief of messing up. Had to do with the memories of his own genin team, and how they related to this team, and a wee bit on the twisted side effects of the Sharingan [and it's evolution]. Sakura on the other hand had to deal mainly with the realisation that she may not be cut out for life as a kunoichi. With a bit of reflection on how she treated Naruto and that Sasuke isn't some fairytale prince waiting to have his heart mended.**_

_**Gotta say, Sakura is up there with Guy in terms of being a pain to write in character. I mean here the thought dialogue was more or less a twelve year old girl with self-esteem issues arguing with that little voice in her head. You know the one! That voice that wants to call the idiot you just saw mess up a 'fucking tool' but you ignore because doing so wouldn't be the polite thing to do or because you know doing so will cause you hassle.**_

_**I'm dyslexic, so please point out any mistakes in spelling or grammar [I spell things the way they do in England and Ireland, so some things may look off to Americans]. Please leave your opinion via review or send them via PM, I'd like to know what you think. Well, I think that's everything I've gotta say so, hope you enjoyed the chapter.**_

_**This is Highvalour saying bye and thanks for reading.**_


	17. Sasuke Calls Bullshit!

_**This... I have no idea what inspired this little ficlet. If I had to guess, it's my subconscious looking for an excuse to bitch and moan at all the ass-pulls and retcons that have happened in the series as of late. It'll also be one of the few times you see me have a go at Sasuke in these fics.**_

_**I think the title sums it up really.**_

_**Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto **_

_**XXXXX**_

Sasuke blinked and surveyed his surroundings. One minute he was training with Kakashi, trying to increase his speed and reflexes, and now he was in some empty cave who-knows-where? Thinking it was some strange genjutsu training Sasuke activated his sharingan and when that failed Sasuke tried the normal method of dispelling genjutsu.

"That's going on?" Snapped a voice behind him. Behind Sasuke stood an older version of himself. His hair was longer, the bangs reaching past his chin. The counterpart wore a lighter version of the common Uchiha shirt with a zip down the front. He had on dark blue pants with a blue cloth hanging from halfway up his stomach to his knees and a think purple cord wrapped around his waist as a belt. "what the... Who are you?"

"Sasuke Uchiha." Sasuke told the teen. He had strange eyes. Black, with a weird six pointed red star pattern and three straight spikes emerging from the iris itself. It reminded Sasuke of That Man's eyes. "And you?"

"I'm Sasuke Uchiha." The older boy snapped, his eyes flashing with rage. "What's going on? Did Kabuto escape Itachi's Izanami? Am I caught in another of his genjutsu from that flute using girl?"

"I'm sorry, did who escape from Itachi's what?" Sasuke asked, to confused by the older boy's ramblings to react violently to mentioning of Itachi. "And what's this about a flute?"

"Kabuto! Orochimaru's servant." The older, and apparently slightly insane, boy answered. "He took the DNA of the Sound Five and Orochimaru, now he can use their abilities."

The older boy than broke into some rant about how Konoha had to be destroyed for their horrible treatment of the Uchiha but Sasuke didn't really pay attention. He was too busy trying to get his head around something the older boy mentioned.

"So there's a Bloodline Limit based around genjutsu?" Sasuke blurted out in disbelief.

"What?" The older boy asked.

"You said this Kabuto guy, that name sounds familiar, took the DNA of the guy who bit me there last week in the Forest of Death as well as the DNA of some people called the Sound Five, one of whom had flute based genjutsu." Sasuke clarified. "So that means she had a genjutsu based Bloodline Limit right?"

"No. She just used a flute to preform genjutsu." The older one snapped, clearly annoyed at being interrupted mid-rant. "And did you say you only got the Curse Seal of Heaven last week?"

"Yeah." Sasuke said as he pulled down on his collar, showing the seal.

"Then that means... Listen, you're in the perfect position to take vengeance for our Clan." The older Sasuke said with a deranged look on his face. He proceed to tell a rather unbelievable tale.

"So let me get this straight..." Sasuke said slowly once his counterpart stopped talking. "The Uchiha planned to rebel, Itachi killed everyone else with the help of someone claiming to be Madara Uchiha himself, Itachi loved me dearly, I'm going to betray the village, betray the guy I betray the village to join and help start the next World War?"

"Yes, that's it more or less." Said the counterpart.

"Okay... I'm going to ask you a few questions about what you just said and I need you to answer them, to clear things up a bit." Sasuke said, making the decision to see how much the Yamanaka charged for psychiatric assessment as it was becoming clear that he ended up delusional in the future. "Let's start with Orochimaru trying to steal your... My... Our body. He uses a jutsu that lets him absorb a person's soul and control their body as his own, but you reversed it and absorbed him! Which gave you some of his powers... How?"

"I used the sharingan to reverse it." The older Sasuke answered with a smug little smile on his face. "It's pretty easy when you have a fully mature sharingan."

"I meant how did you get some of his powers?" Sasuke corrected, making a note to try and not use smug smiles as they made him look like an asshole. "You said his abilities were the result of experimenting on himself, so why would they be in his soul?"

"I don't know. It just did." Older Sasuke admitted. "And I just told you the truth about our clan's unfair massacre, why are you bothering with Orochimaru?"

"Oh I'll get to the clan soon enough." Sasuke told him. "But first, you say the Curse Seal is an attempt to transfer and stabilize someone's Bloodline Jutsu... Is that true?"

"Yeah Jūgo, kind of. It's a clan technique that let's his clan absorb something called Natural Energy but can't control it. It makes them go crazy and mutate." Older Sasuke told him.

"Okay." Sasuke muttered as he made another mental note, this time to ask Kakashi what on earth was Natural Energy. "On on the topic of Bloodline Limits, the Sharingan... You expect me to believe that the Mangekyo Sharingan has a third unique technique that I've never heard of, even though I've read everything our clan left on the subject I could find? Or that the normal Sharingan has two super secret techniques that I haven't found any evidence of?"

"Susanoo is only usable to one who has mastered the other two abilities of the Mangekyo Sharingan." Older, slightly unstable Sasuke told him. "As for Izanami and Izanagi, our clan considered them kinjutsu and so hid the information. And why do you care about this and not the clan?"

"I care about the clan." Sasuke hissed, his two tomoe Sharingan swirling menacingly. "I'm just trying to get all the details straight. Now let's go back to this Kabuto guy, you said he took the DNA of people and got their abilities, which I kind of understand since two of the people you mentioned had Bloodline Limits and Orochimaru modified his body, which Kabuto could simply copy... Now I admit my knowledge of genetics is pretty much limited to why you should avoid having a kid with anyone who shares a parent or grandparent with you but how does he have the girl's genjutsu if it isn't a Bloodline Limit?"

"It's her power, it used their DNA to take their power!" Older, very unstable Sasuke yelled. He couldn't understand why his younger self was more focused on techniques than their clan being unfairly murdered. "Why do you care, I've told you about our clan! Why aren't you raging at Konoha?"

"It's a technique, not a Bloodline! I mean if I went out and drank all of the idiot's blood would I learn how to use that clone technique of his?" Sasuke snapped. "And Speaking of the clan why is it that no one ever noticed how the entire Uchiha Clan, apart from me, seemed to up and disappear for extended periods of time? Did no one ever go to the Military Police to report a crime? How come I never went to ask Mother or Father something only to find they'd gone missing? How is it that in seven years I don't remember one case of a citizen showing the clan anything that could seem like hostility?"

"I-I don't... I mean I was... I was young." Completely batshit crazy Sasuke stuttered. "It happened!"

"Of course it did." Sasuke agreed as he walked up to his clearly insane counterpart and reached up to pat the boy on the shoulder.

"Don't patronise me." The older one snarled.

"I wouldn't dream of it." Sasuke told him before he drove his knee into the older teenager's crotch. The madman slumped to the ground, whimpering slightly. "You crazy, crazy son of a bitch... Sorry mother."

Now completely convinced that he was in some stupid genjutsu Kakashi trapped him in as a way of convincing him to resist Orochimaru's offer of power, Sasuke set about trying to escape it. Every so often he'd kick his genjutsu created counterpart in the balls again to keep him down. After what felt like ages Sasuke just gave up and closed his eyes, wishing himself back to normality.

XX Mountains Near Konoha XX

Sasuke stumbled and rolled along the ground. As he sat up he spotted Kakashi looking over the top of his book in concern.

"Nasty fall Sasuke, you alright?" He asked, making no sign that he really cared.

"I would be if you hadn't used that stupid genjutsu." Sasuke snapped.

"Genjutsu?" Kakashi repeated in confusion. "Look Sasuke, I don't like it when others blame their mistakes on me. You fell and I had nothing to do with it!"

"Really?" Sasuke sneered. "So you didn't put me in a genjutsu where I met a deranged future version of myself who proceed to tell me some bullshit story where Naruto has the Kyuubi inside him, my clan was planning to betray Konoha so the Hokage ordered them killed or that my brother was spent to spy on some secret mercenary group made up of S-Rank Missing-Nin who want to capture the nine Bijū?"

Needless to say the silence that followed was quite awkward as Kakashi tried to work out how Sasuke learned about Naruto being a Jinchuuriki and Sasuke realised that at least one of the things he said was true.

"Eh what was the name of that guy with the cough?" Sasuke asked slowly. "You know, he oversaw the preliminary fights?"

"Hayate Gekko." Kakashi answered slowly. "Look Sasuke I just realised I have to... check on Naruto's training with Ebisu... I'll be back in a bit."

"Yeah... I gotta go as well... Clan business." Sasuke said as he turned around and rushed back to Konoha.

_**XXXXX**_

_**Okay, sorry for venting like that but those are things that are pissing me off. At first I planned to include the version of Sasuke from before he killed Itachi but after he beat Deidara who would of spent most of the time calling bullshit on Itachi being good and would of challenged the stuff at the end about the clan. Chunin Exam Sasuke would of called him out of more or less doing something like he thinks Itachi did [doing messed up stuff for power and betraying Konoha].**_

_**Again, sorry for this... Ignoring the rant itself, was it okay? Did I land anywhere near the mark with characterisation? **_

_**I'm dyslexic, so please point out any mistakes in spelling or grammar [I spell things the way they do in England and Ireland, so some things may look off to Americans]. Please leave your opinion via review or send them via PM, I'd like to know what you think. Well, I think that's everything I've gotta say so, hope you enjoyed the chapter.**_

_**This is Highvalour saying bye and thanks for reading.**_


	18. Sasuke Gets Kamui'd

_**Right I'll do another chapter of either 'Team Nightmare' or 'Team Eight' next time... This isn't so much a chapter as it is the start to a possible fic, many fics actually. You guys know those "Kyuubi uses it's powers to warp Naruto to another world" crossovers that were popular to write a while back, well this would be how I'd start my own take on one of them [as with a lot of the stuff I post here, it'll focus on Sasuke].**_

_**Considering how the Mangekyo Sharingan seems to be able to do just about anything these days, and I don't understand how only Kakashi can use it through his eye, I don't see any problem with Itachi being able to use Kamui if the plot required it.**_

_**Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto **_

_**XXXXX**_

XX Uchiha Hideout XX

"Your eyes belong to me now." Itachi laughed as he stared at the shocked Sasuke. "I'll take them slowly... I want to savour this."

_'Sasuke, maybe you weren't as strong as I thought.' _Itachi thought before clutching at his chest and coughing up blood._ 'But it shall have to do... I won't be able to protect you any more.'_

Seeing an opening, Sasuke fired a kunai with explosive tags attached. The spirit of Susanoo blocked the explosion with the Yata Mirror held in it's left arm.

_'Yes Sasuke. Show me you have the strength to fight on.' _Itachi thought as he began to move forward, twisting his smile of happiness into a cruel smirk. '_Try and kill me. Try and avenge our clan. Try and end my guilt.'_

Itachi continued to advance, using Susanoo to block the barrage of explosive seals Sasuke had kept in reserve.

"My eyes... My..." Itachi gasped, reaching out towards Sasuke.

"Die!" Sasuke screamed, lunging forward in desperation and trying to pierce the power of Susanoo with his sword. Sasuke was forced back, his sword flying off.

_'He'll get you Sasuke... You don't have the power to flee.' _Itachi realised as he watched Sasuke scramble to his feet. Panic and terror in his eyes._ 'Madara will find you, Zetsu is there watching and waiting to report back. Will the Amaterasu be enough? No, it won't be.'_

"Forgive me Sasuke… …It ends with this" Itachi gasped as he pumped the last of his chakra into his eyes. As soon as the Mangekyo activated, he acted. Preforming Kamui and trying to warp Sasuke away. Some place that Madara would never find him, some place where he could find peace. Remembering the night the Kyuubi rampaged and how he'd calmed the fearful Sasuke, Itachi smiled. "Don't cry, Sasuke. Your big brother is here to protect you, no matter what happens."

Once Sasuke had been drawn into the rift in space and time, Itachi allowed himself to fall. Welcoming death, happy in the knowledge he had spared his beloved little brother.

XX The Void Between Dimensions XX

Sasuke fell through the void, confused as to what had just happened. Itachi had been in arm's reach, ready and perfectly able to take his eyes but instead he'd activated his Mangekyo and done something. Now Sasuke was tumbling through a void and had no idea what was going on.

_'What did he do? Why did he stop? Did he stop?' _Questions drifted through Sasuke's mind. Itachi had activated the Mangekyo, what if this was a genjutsu? A genjutsu meant to stop him panicking while Itachi took his eyes.

Before him Sasuke saw a sliver of light, it appeared to be what he was hurtling towards. Was it an end to Whatever Itachi had done to him? Or just the next part?

_**XXXXX**_

_**What do you guys think? I might turn this into a multi-parter if you find it interesting, and I can think of somewhere to dump him. I know 'Connecting the Dots' used the idea of Kamui being used to warp Naruto characters away, but that's not what inspired this idea. I got it after remembering 'Runaway' by Joshua Chung [it was a response to a Naruto/One Piece challenge by Thanathos].**_

_**If you read anything I've posted here and thought 'I would like to write my own version' or 'I can do better', please do! After all you can't have to many fics on this site, can you? [unless you're in the Twilight section, in which case yes you can].**_

_**I'm dyslexic, so please point out any mistakes in spelling or grammar [I spell things the way they do in England and Ireland, so some things may look off to Americans]. Please leave your opinion via review or send them via PM, I'd like to know what you think. Well, I think that's everything I've gotta say so, hope you enjoyed the chapter.**_

_**This is Highvalour saying bye and thanks for reading.**_


	19. Team Nightmare Are Tested

_**Was looking through my forum and rereading the different fic ideas I posted there the other day, there's a few fic ideas there I actually forgot I thought of... Might do a few scenes from a one or two f the Naruto ones later and see if they come out halfway decent.**_

_**Another chapter, another attempt to entertain you all. I honestly do not have anything else to add, so on with the show! **_

_**Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto .**_

_**Fullmetal Alchemist belongs to Hiromu Arakawa**_

_**Devil May Cry belongs to Capcom**_

_**Venom belongs to Marvel Comics**_

_**XXXXX**_

XX Konoha Academy XX

The trio made their way through the halls in search of the exam room. On the second floor they came across a large group of competitors being blocked by Kotetsu Hagane and Izumo Kamizuki, who'd transformed into teenage versions of themselves.

"Hahaha, what did you guys do to get demoted?" Naruto laughed as he reached the pair. "I mean really, you guys get the easiest job there is and you still mess up bad enough to have to compete in the exams?"

"It is kind of pathetic." Sakura agreed. "And is that how you two looked at our age?"

"Ha, check it out. Kakashi is sending his brats." Izumo laughed. "Now you three shouldn't be here, you only graduated a few months ago."

"Yeah." Kotetsu chipped in. "Letting those bullshit rumours get to your heads? You don't have a chance!"

"Rumours? You guys been spreading rumours?" Sasuke turned to his team mates and asked.

"We haven't." Sakura denied.

"Nope." Naruto shrugged. "Look, lets go. I wanna get a good seat on the Third Floor!"

As they tried to move passed the disguised chunin, the trio's path was blocked by a boy in green spandex.

"My name is Rock Lee, and your name is Sakura right?" The boy introduced himself.

"Yes, nice to meet you." Sakura said, giving the boy an odd look.

"Let's go out together!" Lee blurted out, striking a 'Nice Guy' pose. "I'll protect you 'til I die!"

"Eh no!" Sakura said bluntly. "We don't need protecting."

"Hey you!" A Hyuuga that had been standing beside Lee called out. "What's your name?"

"It's generally considered rude to ask someone their name and not give your own." Naruto pointed out.

"I wasn't speaking to you." The Hyuuga snapped dismissively after giving Naruto a quick look over.

"You got a bit of an attitude problem don't you, 'Pale Eyes'!" Sasuke growled as he moved towards the Hyuuga, only to be stopped by Sakura. "Maybe if you be a little nicer, we might answer."

With that, the three bulled passed everyone and set off in search of the exam room. After spending a short while wondering around a voice rang out.

"Hey, you with the dark eyes!" It yelled. "Will you fight me right here?"

"What?" Sasuke asked turning to see Rock Lee standing on a walkway above them. "How the hell did he get up there ahead of us?"

"My name is Rock Lee." He reintroduced himself after jumping down to their level. "When you want to learn a person's name you introduce yourself first, right?"

"Yeah, I guess." Sasuke admitted, slightly confused. "I'm Sasuke Uchiha. That's Naruto Uzumaki and you already seem to know who Sakura is."

"Yes." Rock Lee said, well it was closer to a yell really. "Now I wish to test myself against someone from a powerful clan like the Uchiha."

"Huh, a little warm up sounds like fun." Sasuke laughed as he reached up to grasp Rebellion's handle. "How much time we got guys?"

"We gotta be in the room sometime within the next thirty minutes." Naruto answered after checking a silver pocket watch. "So you better not drag this out."

"Don't worry, I'll make short work of him." Sasuke quipped before rushing forward to attack.

"You said an 'S' word." Sakura chastised as she caught Naruto in a bear hug to stop him charging after Sasuke and ticking the Uchiha's teeth in.

"Sorry, my bad." Sasuke apologised just before Rock Lee landed a vicious kick to his face, breaking his jawbone.

"You shouldn't take your eyes off your opponent." Lee told him before ducking under Sasuke's retaliatory attack. They continued like this for a time, each avoiding the other's strikes. While it was clear to each that the other was holding back, both found themselves enjoying the spar. They were forced to stop when Lee's sensei intervened.

"Enough." He ordered, catching Lee's axe-kick and deflecting Sasuke's sword thrust with a kunai. "Lee, you started a fight and openly showed your skills... Your punishment will be to do four hundred laps around the practice field after the exams!"

"Four hundred times, huh being a bit generous don't you think?" Sasuke snarked.

"He's right Guy-sensei!" Lee exclaimed. "I'll do six hundred laps.!"

"he can't be serious, can he?" Sakura asked Naruto in a hushed whisper.

"I don't know... I think he is." Naruto whispered back.

"And you must be Kakashi's students." Guy beamed at the trio. "I look forward to seeing you all in the exams."

"Guys." Sasuke spoke up once the master and student duo had left. "when did Konoha perfect cloning?"

"It is kinda creepy, isn't it." Naruto agreed.

"Let's go we don't wanna be late." Sakura said as she grabbed both boy's by an arm and dragged them towards the exam room.

XX Exam Room XX

"So do you think Kakashi was serious when he said to steam-roll anyone who stood in our way of becoming chunin?" Naruto asked as they entered the room.

"Dunno." Sakura shrugged. "he did seem kind of serious when he said we should take out as many opposing teams as we can to ensure nothing can prevent us being promoted."

"You guys think we can start thinning the herd now?" Sasuke asked as he scanned the large crowd of genin before them, many of whom were glaring or directing Killing Intent at them. Smirking, he released his own bloodlust which dwarfed their attempts. "Oh this will be fun!"

"Sasuke!" Came a delighted cry from behind the team. Sasuke, reacting on instinct, brought his elbow up and back causing Ino Yamanaka to jump straight into it.

"She counts as an opposing team, right?" Sasuke asked as he stood over the dazed girl.

"Oh great, these guys." Naruto sighed.

"You know this lot?" Sasuke asked.

"It's Ino, Shikamaru and Choji." Sakura told him.

"Oh right, them." Sasuke said before looking at his fellow genin again. "they passed?"

"Well well, it looks like everyone's here." Came a loud, boastful voice. The speaker was a feral looking boy about their age with two red markings on his face. "Wonder far do you think we'll make it, eh Sasuke?"

"Akamaru, you know you're meant to keep your pets leashed and muzzled in public right?" Sasuke asked the puppy that sat on the boy's head before turning to address the other genin coming up behind the boy. "Aburame. Hyuuga."

"Uchiha." Was the reply of Shino Aburame. Before he turned to greet the others.

"H-Hello." Squeaked Hinata Hyuuga.

"Dammit Akamaru, get back here!" Kiba Inuzuka yelled after Akamaru hopped down from his hood and wondered over to Sasuke.

"You guys should be more quiet." An older genin advised as he made his way over. "Lots of the other competitors have short tempers and are nervous about the exam. You better quieten down before you cause a scene."

"And you are...?" Naruto asked.

"My name's Kabuto." The boy introduced himself. "This is the seventh exam I've taken."

"You either suck worse than that Senju, or you don't want to get promoted." Sasuke commented. "what's the matter, afraid of having to do C-Rank missions?"

"Ha, well I can give you guys some advice since it's your first time." Kabuto chuckled. "With my Ninja Info Cards, I've burned information about the exams, the villages to take part in it and the contestants onto them. There are some powerful competitors here from Konoha, Suna, Ame, Kusa, Taki and Oto... Well Oto only started last year is there isn't much info, but the others are filled with talented young shinobi. Ask away and I'll be glad to fill you in."

"Someone named Gaara, from Suna." Naruto said.

"Okay, here we go." Kabuto said as he removed a card and pumped a bit of chakra into it. "Gaara of the Desert. Mission History: D-Rank, unknown. C-Rank, eight. B-Rank, one. Wow, a B-Rank mission as a genin... Since this is his first time and he's from a foreign country I don't have much info. However it seems he returned from all his missions without even a scratch."

"Thanks, that's all I needed to know." Naruto told him. When a trio of Oto ninja caused a scene by attacking Kabuto Naruto leaned in beside his team mates and whispered. "He shouldn't have that kind of information."

"You're right." Sakura whispered back. "We don't trust him."

"If you guys say so." Sasuke shrugged and turned to scan the crowd. "So many people, so many fights... This is gonna be fun!"

A large poof of smoke formed at the front of the exam hall and someone ordered everyone to shut up. When the smoke cleared it revealed more than a dozen Konoha chunin and the head of Konoha's Torture and Interrogation Force, Ibiki Morino.

"You Oto ninja, stop doing what you please before the exam even begins." Ibiki ordered. "Do you want to fail already?"

"I apologise." One of the Oto ninja said. "This is our first time... We got a bit carried away."

"Here's a good opportunity to say this." Ibiki said aloud to the mass of genin. "There will be no fighting without the permission of the examiner! Even if permission is granted, killing your opponent will not be tolerated. Anyone who disobeys me will be failed immediately... Is that clear?"

Once he'd finished Ibiki made each competitor come up to him, randomly take a number and sit in the corresponding chair. When they'd all been seated a written exam was handed out.

"There are many important rules to this test. I'll write them on the board as I explain them. There are to be no questions!" Ibiki told them before turning to the board. "Rule one, you all start with ten points. There are ten questions and each is worth one. This test uses a subtraction system. If you answer all ten right, you have ten points. If you get two wrong, you lose two and get eight. Rule two, this is a team test. You pass or fail based on the combined scores of your team. The final rule, for every time you are caught cheating you will lose two points. The chunin around the room will be watching and should they catch someone five times, you will be asked to leave. If you are asked your team mates will be made to do so as well. Now, begin!"

As the genin all turned over the exams and found themselves staring at questions well beyond what a normal genin would know, the trio each set about doing the test in their own way.

Naruto read each questions several times before deciding to answer them in the order he felt most confident about them. Sakura started at question one and answered each in turn. Sasuke thought for a moment, wrote his name on top, turned the sheet over and went to sleep. Forty two minutes into the exam Sasuke woke up again and waited for the final question.

"Okay, we will now start the final question." Ibiki announced. "But before we start, there are some additional rules for this question... Firstly, you most decide whether or not to take it."

"Chooses?" Temari yelled. "What happens if we choose not to?"

"Your points are reduced to zero and you are asked to leave." Ibiki told her, prompting a number of genin to declare that they obviously will take the question. "But, if you choose to take it and get it wrong... You lose the right to take the exam again.!"

"What kind of bullshit rule is that?" Kiba roared. "There are guys here that have taken it before."

"You guys are just unlucky. This year it's my rules." Ibiki told him. "Now I'm giving you a chance, if you don't feel confident than don't take it and leave. You can always try again next year... So, if you don't want to take the final question raise your hand."

As worried genin began to quit, Sasuke looked around the room. He checked his own sheet and made a decision. He stood and walked out of the row he was in, he passed two rows and entered another.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Ibiki demanded to know as Sasuke walked up to Kabuto.

"Hey! Give that back!" The older genin ordered once Sasuke took the boy's answer sheet and replaced it with his own.

"I said, what the hell do your think you're doing?" Ibiki roared as Sasuke once the boy had returned to his seat.

"Cheating." Sasuke answered. "So make a note to deduct two points."

"What? You think I'm going to allow you to continue after that?" Ibiki yelled, covering those in front of him in spit.

"The rules say I only lose two points." Sasuke yawned. "Besides, isn't this the point of the exam?"

"What?" Ibiki asked, seeming to calm down.

"The point of the exam is to cheat, right?" Sasuke said again. "You set these questions that are too hard for normal genin and then make a point of telling us that you only lose two points for cheating... Hell, I can cheat three more times and you still can't fail me because I'll have two points left!"

"No I... But... That isn't..." Ibiki seemed to mumble, in complete shock that someone had seen through the point of his little test and found a loop hole that allowed him to do no work and still pass. "Is... Is everyone who's still here willing to take the final question? Yes, good... You all pass."

"What?" Several of those still in their seats asked.

"The tenth question was to see if you had the guts to risk it all on an unknown situation even when the outcome could have a major effect on you. By staying you showed you were willing to risk it all for the sake of the mission and so you passed."One of the chunin told them when it became clear Ibiki was still in shock at having a thirteen year old play his rules against him. "The other nine questions were to test your information gathering skills. As the Uchiha pointed out, the questions were too difficult for a normal genin and we arranged the rules to allow you to cheat. Of course anyone who cheated poorly failed."

Before anyone could ask a question, something crashed through the window. Several kunai were fired into the roof and floor to pin a large banner up, in front of which stood a young woman in a lot of chain-mail.

"You guys, this is no time to be celebrating!" The woman had time to declare before the floor warped to trap her legs, impact webbing covered her hands to prevent her from making seals and Sasuke landed on in front of her with Rebellion pressed against her throat. "Ibiki, a little help!"

_**XXXXX**_

_**And I'll leave it there. Was hoping to get into the Forest of Death but the chapter was getting a bit long. Next time Orochimaru suffers and that funny idea Lucillia's work gave me will begin.**_

_**I know the idea of just taking someone else's test and pointing out you only cheated once was done in another fic. I is I joked about doing this a while back before I heard about that fic, still haven't read it actually, so I don't know if my take on the idea holds up to that other author's idea... Anyone know what the fic I'm talking about is called? I dont' remember the title. {Edit: The fic is called 'Cheaters Prosper'. Thanks to Vixen Uchiha for telling me it.}  
><strong>_

_**As far as I can tell, the characters in the Naruto world wear chain-mail, not fishnet. Jiraiya wore a shirt just like Anko's under his shirt kimono and it 'clinked' when he removed it to show the massive scar Naruto's Four-Tailed form left him with. If it bothers you, feel free to sub in your own word at that point when reading.**_

_**I'm dyslexic, so please point out any mistakes in spelling or grammar [I spell things the way they do in England and Ireland, so some things may look off to Americans]. Please leave your opinion via review or send them via PM, I'd like to know what you think. Well, I think that's everything I've gotta say so, hope you enjoyed the chapter.**_

_**This is Highvalour saying bye and thanks for reading.**_


	20. Devil's Blade: Background

_**Quick note/message to Immortalis Cruor Elf, when I said you'd be blocked if you left "update soooooon!" as a review again I wasn't joking. I added your name to the list of blocked users [First, and hopefully only, name on it] this morning.**_

_**Anyway, this is an early draft at the back-story of The Devil's Blade [a Naruto/DMC idea I had ages ago]. Mostly linking the DMC element into the Narutoverse, explaining how and why people have dormant demonic blood and setting up foreshadowing to events that'll occur later.**_

_**Halberd, I don't think you read these but if you do, thanks for helping me work out ideas for this story over in my forum.**_

_**Another chapter, another attempt to entertain you all. I honestly do not have anything else to add, so on with the show!**_

_**Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.**_

_**Devil May Cry belongs to Capcom.**_

_**XXXXX**_

XX Origin of Bloodlines XX

Demon. What does that word mean? What images does it conjure? Do you see madmen, monsters with human skin? Or do you see beasts, primal forces of destruction? Today both exist, but in the past they were one and the same.

Legends tell of the great Sage of Six Paths and how he became a god among men for his victory over the terrible Juubi, but few legends exist from before that. No human knows the origin of the beast or how it came to be what it was.

It was a devil once, a great demon lord and master of more than a dozen hells. It and it's horde invaded the world to claim it. The primitive humans proved unable to resist, being slaughter or enslaved by the demons. As it's servants gorged themselves on the souls of humans some of the Juubi's generals began to plot. Consuming thousands of human and demon souls and attacking together, they stripped the demon lord of it's mind and much of it's power before dividing the horde and hells between themselves. Trapping their former lord, now little more than a beast, on a nearly barren world they left. Over time the humans repopulated the world, but those taken by the demons as slaves were changed. Due to exposure to the demon's magic, or victims of the demons desires, many bore children that were changed. Some showed the ability to generate an inner power, while they had little control over it some could learn to mimic the demons' ability to harness the elements. Others had no such luck. Born with mutations, signs of the demonic blood they inherited, they were shunned or killed. Those lucky enough to avoid death sought out others with similar mutations and through generations of breeding their mutations stabilised, becoming the precursors to many of the kekkei genkai that exist.

Some sought to rejoin the communities of the normal humans. Those with minor mutations of enough control of their unique abilities would often take normal partners and hope for the best. Many were killed or forced away once their children displayed their mutations but some were lucky. Some taught their children how to hide their powers or simply had children that displayed no mutation on the outside. But the change was there, in the blood... In their very genes. Dormant and waiting for a chance to mix with other demonic genes and activate. When this occurred it often led to the creation of new and powerful kekkei genkai. Sometimes, however, the mutation would be too unstable to survive mixing with other genes and be rendered dormant once again within the next generation.

XX Heirs of the Sage XX

It would not be until the Sage, and other kekkei genkai users, began to aid and teach the normal humans that a child with a kekkei genkai was viewed as something other than a curse or mark of shame. As their fortune changed many of the early clans allied themselves with feudal lords while others refused to be bound to one place, accepting work as mercenaries. The descendants of the Sage himself became the Two, later Three, Great Clans. Those born to his first son refused to settle and became the Uchiha Clan, unified their blood remained undiluted by the need to marry into other clans or communities and so their sharingan, their inheritance from their ancestor, remained strong. These born to the second son however were divided. After generations locked in a vicious blood feud with their Uchiha cousins, actively offering their services as mercenaries to any that opposed the Uchiha and their patrons, the majority sought to end the fighting. They wished to take a permanent patron and settle. The Uchiha' lust for power and battle would bring them to extinction while they would prosper in their lands. The minority refused, so caught up in the blood feud they split off to continue the wars. This group would become the Senju Clan, the only clan would the skill to match the Uchiha in skill and power. But their limited number meant they were forced to marry into many smaller clans to keep their numbers up, diluting the blood of the Sage and the longevity it brought.

The others, taking the land and patronage offered by the lord of a small island of the southern coast of the main landmass, named themselves after the whirlpools that occurred around the island and became the Uzumaki. Their greater numbers meant they had no need to actively marry outside the clan and so their blood remained relatively pure, so pure in fact that when they did begin marrying the other humans who lived on the lord's lands their descendants proved able to live longer and the land became known to outsiders as "The Land of Longevity".

XX Later Mutations XX

The demonic genes passed down do not always remain active. Some would slumber through the generations until awakened by other genes or external power. These mutations rarely passed onto the offspring of those that possessed them as the bearer's partner often lacked the demonic genes needed to stabilise them, as was the case with Hashirama Senju and the Mokuton. The children would carry the genes needed to use the power, but lack the genes needed to tap into that power.

Not all mutations were as advanced or powerful as the Mokuton. Some weren't even usable without preparation and study. Once such mutation was the ability to teleport at will. The boy with this power, the result of both of his parents carrying genes from a particular demon, could use this power to move instantly but had no way of controlling where he would end up. He could move an inch or a mile from his starting point, but could not control which it was. It took years or study and practise but eventually he was able to create a seal that acted as a beacon, allowing him to teleport himself and anything he held to that location at will. This power, used to bolster his own skill as a ninja, made him a legend on the battlefields. With his death defending his home, all thought his unique technique lost. And it would have been in most cases, had it been a technique. For sometimes one's partner not only has the genes needed to stabilise a mutation, but also to enhance it.

_**XXXXX**_

_**Firstly, I thought of this idea back in October and long before it was revealed that Minato had taught his greatest technique not to his mentor or highly skilled student but to his bodyguards... And in such a way that one can't preform it without the other. Thankfully for me I adopted a policy a while ago of treating anything revealed after the beginning of the Fourth Shinobi World War the same way I treat the anime's filler episodes, okay to use if I need techniques/locations/characters but if anything mentioned in it goes against my story I'm just ignore it instead of trying to come up with a hand-wave like I do for the rest of canon itself.**_

_**Anyway if you think this idea might be interesting [there's a link to my forum in my profile if you want to read what I've posted there on the idea] and want me to do a chapter or two let me know. If I get enough of a reaction I'll write some early chapters and if they get enough of a reaction I may make it an independent fic.**_

_**Fun little fact, the full title of Vergil's Devil Arm is 'Enma Katana: Yamato'. 'Enma' can be translated as 'Devil' and 'Katana' as 'Blade'. Interestingly 'Yamato' can be broken into 'Yama' and 'To' which mean the same.  
><strong>_

_**I'm dyslexic, so please point out any mistakes in spelling or grammar [I spell things the way they do in England and Ireland, so some things may look off to Americans]. Please leave your opinion via review or send them via PM, I'd like to know what you think. Well, I think that's everything I've gotta say so, hope you enjoyed the chapter.**_

_**This is Highvalour saying bye and thanks for reading.**_


	21. No Working Title, Naruto Meets GL

_**Like the last chapter, Devil's Blade, this is just me doing a rough draft of a possible crossover fic I posted in my forum a while back. This time it's with the Green Lantern comics... I admit I haven't read a lot of Green Lantern comics [Don't think I've ever seen one on sale before here] so most of my info comes from the DC Wiki pages on Red lanterns.**_

_**Another chapter, another attempt to entertain you all. I honestly do not have anything else to add, so on with the show!**_

_**Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.**_

_**Green Lantern belongs to DC Comics.**_

_**XXXXX**_

XX Unnamed World In Sector 3308 XX

The Red Lanterns tore through the Sinestro Corps defences. They outnumbered their foes almost three to one and what good is fear when your enemy is a mindless beast? Inspired by the human Jonathan Crane, the Sinestro Corps had been attempting to contact the Weaponers of Qward in the hope of commissioning a fear inducing toxin of their own. With it, they could boost their own fear inducing ability and the power of their rings. As the Red lanterns eroded their constructs and began to tear them apart the Sinestro Corps members decided to retreat to the Antimatter Universe.

One of the Red Lanterns, who'd broken away from the rest, gave chase only to find herself trapped between universes when one of the Sinestro Corps sealed the portal and abandoned his fellow Corps members to die. The Red Lantern screamed in impotent rage as she fell through the Multiverse.

XX The Multiverse XX

The Multiverse, the hypothetical concept of several similar, yet different, universes coexisting side by side. While some argued if it even existed, others knew it to be true. Those with knowledge of its existence believed there to be fifty-two separate universes and they were half right. There was in fact only fifty-two universes like their own, a central group. However countless other universes existed on the fringes of this group, where the differences were a little more than cosmetic or moralistic. On some the idea of metahumans was impossible to the masses, in others metahumans counted as the norm. In some universes earth did not exist but in others all there was is earth. Through this vast realm the Red Lantern fell, the energies of the Multiverse proving too much for her ring to block. It's bearer ripped apart the ring did what it could to ensure its own survival. Sealing itself in a tiny sphere of red light, the ring was able to avoid total destruction.

Universes flickered by, close enough for images to be seen but never close enough for the ring to be drawn into. In one a soldier, with a star on his shield, led his allies into a battle for freedom. In another that same soldier, consumed by death and hunger, devoured those same allies. Another universe had no empowered heroes, instead boys fought in mechanised giants in the hope of ending war. Another saw feline warriors battle demons and mutants. Hundreds if not thousands of universes past by as the ring fell, until one universe appeared in its path.

XX Forest In Fire Country XX

The ring punched a hole through reality and embedded itself in the earth. The trip through the Multiverse had left it damaged and drained. While it detected many possible bearers, it lacked the means to reach them. It was damaged, for too damaged to travel, and so began sending out a distress beacon. Going dormant the ring lay there in the earth, waiting for either this universe's Red Lantern's to find it or for a possible bearer to discover it. It waited a long time.

XX Forest Surrounding Konoha XX

Sasuke Uchiha could only watch in horror as his team mate was engulfed in Gaara's sand. The pain of the Curse Seal had stripped him of the last of his strength so he couldn't try and help Naruto.

"Shit! My body, it..." Sasuke as he tried to stand, tried to do something to help against the monster that Gaara had become.

"Summoning Jutsu!" Cried a voice just before the sand exploded outwards. Naruto had escaped, and managed to summon the Toad Boss Gamabunta in doing so.

_'Naruto, you... What in the world?' _Thought Sasuke as his team mate, rival and friend tried to convince the gigantic toad to aid him. After the toad agreed Sasuke could only watch in awe as it battled the sand monster Gaara had become. The force of their clash knocked Sasuke from the tree he'd been in. As he lay on the ground, struggling to stay conscious, Sasuke thought he heard a voice. It ws distorted and spoke in a language he couldn't understand. A faint red glow appeared near where he'd landed and grew brighter the longer the voice spoke. Sasuke felt drawn to the light and began crawling towards it. As he neared it, images from that night flashed before his eyes. His parent's bodies, the corpse littered streets and That Man's eyes. Sasuke's rage grew, the Curse Seal pulsed and sent waves of agony through his body as it fed on his hate. As it tried to take control.

After trying several times in different sounding languages, and even trying random growls or whistles, the voice became clear.

**SASUKE UCHIHA, YOU HAVE GREAT RAGE IN YOUR HEART. YOU BELONG TO THE RED LANTERN CORPS!**

_**XXXXX**_

_**And that's about it. I'm going through my forum and trying to work out what I'll keep there and what I'll delete, it gets next to no traffic and I don't see what's the point of keeping it now that I just post Naruto ideas here. Like as with Devil's Blade, if you want to see any more of this idea let me know. If there's no sign of interest I'll delete the thread and focus on some other idea.**_

_**And yes, I am well aware of how a lot of the things I post here seem to focus on Sasuke. He's my favourite character, although I'll admit he's taken a dive off the slippery slope since forming Taka. That's kinda why I set most of my fics during Part One, the changes I make mean he is less likely to end up speaking with Tobi and becoming a fucking lunatic.**_

_**Oh, I'm thinking I might try and do a sequel to WNTK ch.18 [Sasuke gets Kamui'd]. I've got four basic ideas of what it'll be and what opinions:**_

_**1) A slightly injured Sasuke continues down the path of an avenger, this time against the scum of Arkham City. Takes place over several days leading up to, and including, the game itself and is about him dealing with some of the Side Missions [Zsasz, Bane and political Prisoners]. Limited interaction with Batman himself. Mostly action with some character development.**_

_**2) A recovered Sasuke gets dragged into the adventures of the Teen Titans [cartoon]. Good blend of humour and action. Just a twist on an overused crossover idea.**_

_**3) A severely wounded Sasuke is found in the Mojave Desert and now must survive in the Fallout Universe. Bleakest of the lot, sees Sasuke getting involved in some of the quests and dealing with the factions. Fairly bleak with lots of character development**_

_**4) A Peggy-Sue fic. Sasuke wakes up in the body of his younger self on the day the teams are announced. Here Sasuke knows he's gotten his revenge and so isn't as driven towards it, so he decides to try and enjoy his time in Konoha and with Team Seven. Usual Peggy-Sue events such as Sasuke using future knowledge to make himself look better, ensure things go easier for the team and just have fun.**_ _**Most humorous of the lot, maybe even entering into parody. Like Loki, Sasuke's fall through that void didn't do his unhinged mind any good. **_

_**I'm dyslexic, so please point out any mistakes in spelling or grammar [I spell things the way they do in England and Ireland, so some things may look off to Americans]. Please leave your opinion via review or send them via PM, I'd like to know what you think. Well, I think that's everything I've gotta say so, hope you enjoyed the chapter.**_

_**This is Highvalour saying bye and thanks for reading.**_


	22. No Working Title, Naruto Bloodline Fic

_**Okay, so that's very little interest in Devil's Blade, the Green Lantern crossover or a sequel to 'Sasuke gets Kamui'd'. Right, good to know. **_

_**This will be the last idea I take from my forum for a while and, depending on RL, might be the last chapter of WNTK I post for a while. Like the last two it's just a rough partial draft of the first chapter.**_

_**Another chapter, another attempt to entertain you all. I honestly do not have anything else to add, so on with the show!**_

_**Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.**_

XX Walls Of Konoha XX

With great effort the most skilled of Konoha's shinobi elite managed to force the rampaging Kyuubi back. As the great beast watched them through the gaping hole that had been punched through the walls, the shinobi paused to catch their breath and plan.

_'Where is Minato?'_ Wondered Hiruzen Sarutobi as he stood at the front, where a Hokage should be. As the Kyuubi prepared to attack again Sarutobi rallied his fellow defenders. "We've driven it out of the village! Don't stop setting traps!"

As the shinobi rushed forward to keep the Kyuubi from targeting the village itself, the beast itself roared with fury and lashed out with tails or claws. The shinobi, although numerous and skilled, proved to be no match for the mightiest of the Bijuu. Deciding to end it, the Kyuubi began to gather an immense concentration of chakra in it's mouth.

"Summoning Technique!" The cry was accompanied by a massive boom as Gamabunta, the boss of Toads, appeared with Minato Namikaze standing on his head. Gamabunta lunged and pinned the Kyuubi beneath him.

"Hold the fox down for a minute!" Minato ordered.

"Look, I may be big, but I'm not a miracle worker!" Gamabunta snapped as he struggled to hold the trashing fox down.

"I need enough chakra to take him and that blast out of here!" Minato muttered, more to himself then to Gamabunta.

XX Clearing Near Konoha XX

The Kyuubi released the energy it had gathered as soon as Minato teleported them both away. The force of the resulting blast decimated the surrounding area. Minato barely managed to get himself, Kushina and their newborn sons out of the blast radius.

"Gotta put up a barrier..." Minato gasped, clutching his sons close.

"My chakra is almost drained." Kushina panted, clearly struggling to stay conscious. Focusing, she shaped her remaining chakra into thick chains and restrained the Kyuubi. "Sorry Naruto... I... Didn't mean... To wake you."

Safely held in his father's arm, Naruto cried. He was the older of the twin boys. He was larger and had inherited his father's pigmentation. Six scratch like markings were clearly visible on his checks. In Minato's other arm was his brother, who Kushina had named Karyuu. He took after his mother in terms of hair and skin pigmentation, he was also smaller and seemed to be weaker than his brother. While he too had facial markings, they were far less noticeable. While Naruto cried loudly all Karyuu could manage was a soft whimper.

"I... I'll drag the Kyuubi back... And die with it inside me." Kushina told Minato. "That'll prevent it from coming back... for a while. It's the only way to save the three of you."

"Kushina... You..." Minato sobbed. "You made me your husband... You made me the Forth Hokage... You made me their father. I-I..."

"Don't look so said Minato. I'm... I'm happy." Kushina told him, a weak and pained smile on her face. "Happy that you loved me... Happy that it's... Our children's birthday. If I had any regrets, it's that I won't see Naruto or Karyuu grow up."

"Kushina." Minato said, unsure of how to word what he wanted to say. "You don't have to take the fox down with you. I can use the last bit of your chakra to let you see them one more time."

"Huh?" Kushina muttered, nearing the end.

"I'll seal the last of your chakra into each of them with an Eight Trigrams Seal." He told her. "Then I'll seal the Kyuubi away with a seal few can use, The Dead Demon Seal!"

"But that seal... The user is..." Kushina cried out."

"But I'll only be able to seal half the fox's power... It's just too great, it's physically and conceptually impossible to completely seal it all." Minato told her. "I can't let the Kyuubi be revived without a jinchuuriki, the balance of the Bijuu would be destroyed. With the Dead Demon Seal I can permanently seal half away with me and seal the other half... I'll need to seal it in one of the boys."

"But Minato... No, you can't." Kushina sobbed.

"I have to." Minato said, steeling his voice as he prepared to preform the jutsu.

"No, I'll do it." Kushina said.

"Kushina, are you able?" Minato asked.

"I-I thought you everything you k-know." Kushina snapped. "I-If you can do it, I can d-do it better."

As the Dead Demon Seal took effect, Kushina saw the Spirit of Death form behind her. Using her as a conduit to this world, it reached in and tore out half of the Kyuubi's chakra.

"Pre-Prepare the Eight Trigrams Seal." Kushina said through gritted teeth. "Look out!"

The Kyuubi's form had been reduced with half it's chakra gone, this had allowed it to get one of it's claws free and lash out at the twins. It's hope was to kill the possible vessels and prevent itself from being resealed. As she cried out, Kushina threw herself in the way while Minato grabbed both and lunged to the side.

"It... It won't seal the chakra!" Kushina sighed, blood running from her mouth. "The Spirit of Death w-won't seal it in me. The-the wound is too bad! What... What do we d-do?"

"Seal both halves... Seal both halves in the boys." Minato told her, tears running freely. He summoned a toad to contact Jiraiya with a message to return at once. Minato then prepared an Eight Trigrams Seal on both Naruto and Karyuu. "Good bye, Kushina... I-I love you."

"I love you too... And I love them... Tell them that, every d-day." Kushina sobbed as the Spirit of Death sealed the Kyuubi's Yin chakra into Naruto and proceed to seal the Yang in Karyuu. And then, everything faded away.

XX ? XX

Everything came back and Kushina found herself standing in a vast tunnel watching a fierce battle between the Kyuubi and a young man. The man had shoulder length blond hair and six scratch like markings on his cheeks. He wore a dark blue shirt kimono with matching pants, over which he wore a black haori. He wore armoured guards on his forearms and shins but no sandals. In his hands was an old and battered shakujo.

"N-Naruto." Kushina laughed, realising she'd get to meet her first born. He'd grown, years had surely passed and she wanted to hear about them as much as possible. As she moved to help her son, she failed to notice the strange ripple pattern of his eyes, or the cold purple colour they had turned.

_**XXXXX  
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_**Yeah, this would be the opening scene to my 'Naruto Bloodline' idea. It's short I know, but I just wanted to get something on the idea done and out of the way.**_

_**I'm dyslexic, so please point out any mistakes in spelling or grammar [I spell things the way they do in England and Ireland, so some things may look off to Americans]. Please leave your opinion via review or send them via PM, I'd like to know what you think. Well, I think that's everything I've gotta say so, hope you enjoyed the chapter.**_

_**This is Highvalour saying bye and thanks for reading.**_


	23. Ouroboros

_**I have a rule about writing fics, if the idea of a scene makes me laugh for more then a minute I just have to write the fic it belongs too. And well, this idea has several scenes that made me laugh my ass off. While none of the scenes that made me laugh for more then a minute are likely to be reached in this chapter, but with a bit of luck it'll still be good. Anyway, this is the forth option for a possible follow up to Chapter 18 [Sasuke gets Kamui'd] that I mentioned at the end of chapter 21.**_

_**Chash, you know a few of the scenes I'm talking about but I've got more so here's a Peggy-Sue fic with an unhinged Sasuke.**_

_**Another chapter, another attempt to entertain you all. I honestly do not have anything else to add, so on with the show!**_

_**Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.**_

_**XX The Void Between Dimensions XX**_

Sasuke fell through the void, confused as to what had just happened. Itachi had been in arm's reach, ready and perfectly able to take his eyes but instead he'd activated his Mangekyo and done something. Now Sasuke was tumbling through a void and had no idea what was going on.

_'What did he do? Why did he stop? Did he stop?' _Questions drifted through Sasuke's mind. Itachi had activated the Mangekyo, what if this was a genjutsu? A genjutsu meant to stop him panicking while Itachi took his eyes. _'No, no reason for him to bother... I was at his mercy, I couldn't move so why? Why send me away?'_

As Sasuke fell he focused at that, why? Why had Itachi tried to kill him with that technique instead of taking his eyes? Sasuke replayed the fight over and over in his mind, refusing to let unconsciousness claim him until he knew why! It wasn't until he'd replayed the battle over a dozen times he realised why, he didn't have it in him! The battle had drained Itachi to the point he couldn't do it. It just didn't have the strength to go on. The injuries from the fight, the strain of using his jutsu and his naturally poor stamina had left Itachi on death's door.

_'Hehe, he must of known he was about to die Known he'd die and decided try and kill me first. Well you failed Itachi! I'm alive and you are gone! Hahahaha!.' _Sasuke realised._ ' I did it! I won! He's dead and I'm alive, I don't have to hunt him any more... I'm free of it all.'_

It was then that Sasuke realised what Itachi's final act had done. He'd trapped Sasuke in this endless void. While it was true Sasuke was free from his vengeance he was stuck here and unable to enjoy that freedom. He was trapped in the void and unable to live a peaceful life, to restore the clan or even just have a simple little family.

_'Peaceful life? Who am I kidding?'_ Sasuke chastised himself._ 'I threw away any chance of a peaceful life when a abandoned Konoha for Orochimaru. In hindsight not really the best plan for long term consequences. Actually I've never really been one for 'long term consequences'. Joining Orochimaru and then trying to kill Naruto, Sakura and those other two guys back at Orochimaru's base probably means I won't be met with open arms if I'd shown up on Konoha's doorstep... Well maybe Naruto would, but he seems incapable of staying angry at someone no matter what they did to him. Hell I even left behind the team I put together just for the sole purpose of beating Itachi __behind, nice going there genius.'_

As he drifted Sasuke taught of his old team and, much to his horror, found he missed them. Kakashi, while a lazy fool, was smart, skilled and willing to risk life and limb for his students. Sakura, while lacking in any useful skills back then, had grown into a powerful kunoichi from what he'd heard via Orochimaru's spies.

_'Maybe if she showed that kind of ability while I was in Konoha, I might of said yes when she asked for a date.' _Sasuke though to himself. He didn't know how long he'd been adrift. Just that it was long enough for him to effectively review his life from earliest memory to the fight itself and he'd found a lot of things he regretted. Some seemed obvious, like not killing Itachi in his sleep when both were children, while a few were actually a surprise. Not making more of an effort to get along with his fellow genin, not putting any effort into being remembered as anything other then 'The Last Uchiha' or never even kissing a girl. _'I've never kissed anyone, and anybody who says otherwise can go rot!'_

After a while Sasuke began to feel something, an intense pain throughout his entire body_. _The void began to warp, bursts of colour forming, images flickered past and Sasuke felt like he was being pulled in every direction at once.

XX Konoha XX

Sasuke awoke to find himself staring at a vaguely familiar ceiling, although he couldn't remember where from. Checking that he was wearing pants of some description, something he'd started doing shortly after Karin had joined him and Suigetsu, Sasuke rose and set out in search of a bathroom. As he looked around the spartanly decorated apartment, littered with scrolls and weapons, Sasuke had the strangest feeling of deja vu.

_'I know this place.' _Sasuke noted as he finally found the bathroom and caught a glimpse of his refection._ 'The hell?'_

Staring back at him from the mirror, wearing a look of complete confusion, was the face Sasuke had when he was twelve years old. Rushing from the bathroom and into the kitchen Sasuke found the date on a calender, it was the day the genin teams were to be assigned. In a panic, convinced that it was a genjutsu, Sasuke tried to release it. When that failed he grabbed the nearest weapon, a senbon he'd left embedded in the kitchen counter-top, and drove it into his leg.

"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" Sasuke screamed, having accidentally driven the senbon into a nerve cluster. When that kind of immense agony failed to cause a change Sasuke began to doubt if he was in a genjutsu. Removing the senbon and limping over to where he had, did?, store his medical supplies, Sasuke bandaged the small hole and took several pain killers. "Itachi, what the hell did you do to me?"

_'Okay, calm down and think it through.' _Sasuke though to himself as he limped back to the bedroom. Opening the wardrobe Sasuke was confronted be a rather pathetic sight. Seven blue shirts with a high collar and Uchiha fan on the back, seven pairs of white shorts, seven pairs of white arm warmers and one black kimono/pants combo for funerals._ '..., I need better clothes!'_

Quickly grabbing a shirt and the black pants, Sasuke started to get dressed. He didn't know how, but it seemed he'd been given a second chance... The cosmos rewarding him for all the shit it'd dumped on him in the past? It didn't matter why, what mattered was what he was going to do. He'd speak with the Hokage, use the fact that he knew what was stuck inside Naruto's gut as proof and tell him about everything that was to come. He'd warn about Kabuto being a spy for Orochimaru, about Suna planning to betray the village, about Orochimaru killing the him and about Itachi and Kisame tracking Naruto.

_'Wait, if I tell him about the future then I'll end up revealing I joined Orochimaru.' _Sasuke realised. "Crap, there goes that plan... Jiraiya! He's the spy master, I'll get the info to him and let him act on it... But without proof he won't act on an anonymous tip, well he might act on the info about Orochimaru running Oto and planning an invasion but I won't be able to get Kabuto arrested without proof... Well I'll just have to find some! Or, easier option, kill him myself during the Chunin Exams."

With his plan of action decided on, Sasuke went to the bathroom to clean himself up and start the first day of this life.

XX Konoha Shinobi Academy XX 

"Okay, next is Team Seven! Sakura Hanuro, Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha." Iruka announced while reading off a sheet prompting Naruto to shout for joy at being an Sakura's team and Sakura to shout for joy for being on Sasuke's team.

_'Okay add "learn patience" to list of things I need to do, both of them dying in suspicious circumstances will look bad on my record.' _Sasuke thought to himself as Iruka read out the rest of the teams. _'I'll put that just above re-activating my Sharingan, stupid ill-prepared body, and getting my stamina and chakra back up to a decent level... Again, stupid ill-prepared body.'_

"Iruka Sensei!" Naruto whined, snapping Sasuke out of his thoughts. "Why does an outstanding shinobi like me have be on the same team as that prick over there?"

_'Right, where was I?_ Oh yeah, to do list' Sasuke wondered, ignoring Iruka signing his praises and Sakura beating up Naruto._ 'Learn Patience, get Sharingan again, find way to either swap or improve team's ability, re-absorb Orochimaru and kill Kabuto first chance I get.'_

"Okay this afternoon we'll introduce your jonin sensei." Iruka told them. "Until then, take a break."

"Sasuke, do you want to eat lunch together?" Sakura asked as the class emptied. "You know, since we'll be on the same team we should spend more time together."

"I have stuff I need to do." Sasuke told her as he moved for the door. "... ugh, but maybe later the three of us can get something to eat. After all we are on the same team now."

XX A Yamanaka Therapist's Office XX

"Yeah, I need to book a few sessions as soon as possible." Sasuke told the receptionist. "Also, can you guys prescribe antidepressants?"

"No, but we can put you in contact with someone who can if it is felt you need them." The receptionist said, looking up from the files he'd been filling in. When he saw Sasuke he blink, several times, and leaned forward to look at the fan crest on the back of Sasuke's shirt. "And here's the address and a referral. There's an opening tomorrow at four, does that suit you?"

"Great, thanks a lot." Sasuke said as he left._ 'Right get the pills, replace them with tic-tacs or something and I've got the reason I'm being nice. Lets see, we should be meeting our sensei shortly so I have another two to three hours to kill. I'm gonna go get some decent clothes.'_

XX Konoha Academy XX

"I got food for us." Sasuke said by way of announcing he'd arrived back.

"Where the hell where you!" Naruto yelled. "And is that miso ramen I smell?"

"Yeah, enjoy." Sasuke said as he handed over the ramen.

"I take back some of the bad things I said about you." Naruto laughed before 'inhaling' the noodle soup.

"I have no idea what you like, since you can go five minutes without mentioning it, so I just got you some dumplings." Sasuke told Sakura as he handed them over. He was pretty sure she said she liked anko dumplings when they'd been on there way back from the Land of Tea, but since that hadn't happened yet he shouldn't know.

"Oh... oh em, thanks Sasuke." Sakura said as she took the food.

"What, you not hungry?" Sasuke asked as he sat down to eat his onigiri. "Don't tell me you do something as stupid as dieting? You know, not eating much is actually gonna make you put on fat! If the body is only getting a small amount of food it thinks there isn't much available and so starts to store as much of it as fat as possible. If you want a good figure you should eat a healthy amount and exercise to burn off the excess. And considering how much physical activity shinobi do, burning off excess won't be a problem."

"I-I guess so." Sakura agreed before she began eating. The trio ate in silence, waiting for their sensei to arrive. "So, where did you have to go earlier?"

"To get these." Sasuke said, holding up a bottle of antidepressants. "And to book a session with a therapist... I've got a few issues I want to deal with."

"Oh." Said Sakura, deciding to drop the subject.

"Where is our sensei?" Naruto muttered before smiling wickedly. Using a chair to reach, he wedged a chalk eraser into above the door so that it would fall on whoever opened it.

"What are you going to do if our sensei is allergic to chalk dust?" Sasuke asked before handing Naruto a small, hard back book. "Use this instead."

And, just like before, Kakashi Hatake fell for it.

"How can I put this...?" Kakashi groaned. "I don't like any of you!"

_**XXXXX**_

_**Anyway here you are. What do you think? Let me know.**_

_**I'm dyslexic, so please point out any mistakes in spelling or grammar [I spell things the way they do in England and Ireland, so some things may look off to Americans]. Please leave your opinion via review or send them via PM, I'd like to know what you think. Well, I think that's everything I've gotta say so, hope you enjoyed the chapter.**_

_**This is Highvalour saying bye and thanks for reading.**_


	24. Team Nightmare Make A Legend Cry

_**Team Nightmare in a forest with others, without a sensei to keep them in line... This will not end well.**_

_**Another chapter, another attempt to entertain you all. I honestly do not have anything else to add, so on with the show! **_

_**Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto .**_

_**Fullmetal Alchemist belongs to Hiromu Arakawa**_

_**Devil May Cry belongs to Capcom**_

_**Venom belongs to Marvel Comics**_

_**XXXXX**_

"Dammit Ibiki! Do something!" Anko snapped when the scarred proctor made no effort to help her.

"you bust in through the window so they immobilised you and put a sword to your neck... I think that deserves bonus points for reacting like a shinobi." Ibiki laughed, having recovered from the shock of someone abusing his rules in such a way. "And it looks like Inoichi owes me a week's wage."

"Dammit help me!" Anko snapped before registering what Ibiki had said about Inoichi. "And why does he owe you money?"

"That's why." Ibiki said, pointing towards the back of the hall where Sakura was.

"Holy FuckNuggits!" Anko screamed when she saw Sakura wearing her symbiote. Several of the students near Sakura were trembling in terror and a few even made a break for it, abandoning the exam and their team mates. "You mean Kakashi was telling the truth?"

"Looks like it." Ibiki laughed. Whatever he planned to follow up this statement with was lost when one of the Taki shinobi let out an ear piercing shriek.

"It's the Army-Killer!" The young genin shrieked as he stared in absolute horror at Naruto. His team mates turned to look at Naruto, realised their terrified team mate was right, screamed like a pair of little girls and fled.

"What the fuck is going on?" Sasuke asked turning to face Naruto, never removing Rebellion from it's position against Anko's neck. "Since when are you 'the Army-Killer'?"

"I'm just as confused as you are." Naruto admitted as he rose from his position behind the desk and turned to look at the retreating Taki ninja. "And I think you can relax, she's got a Konoha Forehead protector."

"Has she?" Sasuke asked, turning back to face Anko. "I hadn't checked."

"Oh you've got to be kidding." Naruto face palmed. He'd just noticed that Sasuke's eyes were level with Anko's chest. "I think she's important to the next part of the exam so you're gonna have to let her go."

"Fine." Sasuke sighed as he withdrew Rebellion, all the while ignoring the glares Anko was directing his way... It seems she'd noticed where he'd been looking as well. "Hey Sakura, how long until this stuff dissolves?"

"Twenty-four hours." Sakura answered before leaping across the entire classroom to land in a crouch on the desk behind him. Several other genin used the fact that she was no longer between them and the door to flee. "But if you're strong enough you can try to break it yourself."

"Alright, lets try this." Sasuke said as he repeatedly swung Rebellion at Anko, slicing away the webbing. "So, what's next?"

"Eh... You are all to go to the Forty-Fourth Training Ground for the next part of the exam." Anko declared, taking a momentary break from glaring at Sasuke. "Once there you will be told what the second part entails... If you are not there within fifteen minutes you automatically fail, there are maps to guide foreign shinobi to the training field in the hallway."

"The Forest of Death? I love that place." Sasuke exclaimed happily as he turned to leave. "It's where I got my rug."

"It is a nice rug." Sakura siad as she moved to follow, her symbiote reforming into her ordinary clothing. "We meant to ask you where you got it."

"Picked it up in the forest, killed and skinned it myself." Sasuke told her. "We could get you one while we're there if you want?"

"If we have time, We'd hate to be the cause of the team losing." Sakura answered.

"We'll have plenty of time." Naruto chipped in. "Besides, from what Sasuke said, those giant tigers are all over the place!"

XX Forty-Fourth Training Ground XX

"So..." Sasuke began as he used a combination of Tricks and Air Dashes to keep pace with the web swinging Sakura, and Naruto who was piggybacking off her. "You guys noticed it too?"

"Noticed what?" Naruto asked.

"Yes. Some time ago." Sakura hissed. "What should we do?"

"What are you two talking about?" Naruto demanded to know.

"Somebody has been following use for a while now." Sasuke told him, a broad grin on his face. "Someone strong... I'll tell you what we're gonna do, we're gonna stop and see what they want!"

"We call dibs." Sakura said firmly.

"You sure you want to use it now?" Sasuke asked. "You never know when we'll run into someone you really want to kick the shit out of..."

"We're sure." Sakura answered with a smile. "We think this will be a very interesting match."

The trio stopped on a particularly large branch and turned to face there pursuer. There was silence between them and no one moved, each searching for any sign of whoever it was that was tracking them. Without a word Sasuke embedded Rebellion into the tree trunk and caught a grip of Naruto.

"What are you..." Naruto began only to be silenced as a powerful burst of wind came from where they'd been watching. It would of blown him away if Sasuke hadn't anchored them both down with his sword.

"Well well, this is a surprise." Came a polite, if unnerving, voice. "I had thought myself well hidden, a sensor on the team perhaps?"

"Nope, you just suck!" Sasuke called out. "So... How are you anyway?"

"My, my, my. What has the state of this once great village fallen too, if I am not so easily recognised?" Called the voice before the speaker appeared. It was a ninja from Kusa, in his hand was an Earth Scroll. The Kusa ninja wrapped an incredibily long tongue around the scroll and swallowed it. "You wanted my scroll right? Well now, lets begin the battle for each other's scroll... With our lives on the line!"

"That... That may of been the dumbest thing you'll ever do." Sasuke told the enemy ninja, completely ignoring the Killing Intent that was flooding the air.

"And why is that?" The Kusa ninja asked, mock confusion lacing his voice.

"Because now we'll have to reach down your throat and pull it out!" Sakura roared as she lunged forward, the rest of her form morphing into her Venom form.

"Ahh!" The ninja yelped as he dove aside, Sakura's fist embedding itself in the branch where he once stood.. Sakura roared in rage, exposing her fangs and tongue, before charging again. "Stupid girl, I don't know what jutsu you're using... But you'll find that I don't scare so easily!"

As the two clashed it became apparent that it was only the Kusa nin's experience and unnatural flexibility that was allowing him to match Sakura. It was also apparent that it was only his seemingly endless supply of Earth Clones that ensured the fight didn't end whenever Sakura landed a hit. Strangely it seemed that the Kusa ninja was more interested in Sasuke as he kept trying to break away from Sakura and engage him. Once or two he'd even managed to get in close by using an Earth Jutsu to sink into the ground to get close. Of course every time he did Sakura would just pull him back with webbing or kick him in the back of the head, revealing he'd swapped out with another clone.

"Dammit, this is taking too long!" The man hissed to himself. "I'm burning through chakra and branding the Curse Seal of Heaven will be quite draining... I need to get rid of her and test Sasuke, I need to know if he's worth my time."

"She's doing well." Naruto noted from his position beside Sasuke.

"Yeah, speaks a lot about this guy's skill that he isn't a stain on a tree trunk right now." Sasuke said.

"She's something else." Naruto said, not really paying attention to Sasuke.

"She's nice, but the fangs are a bit of a turn off." Sasuke told him. "I don't like girls with bigger fangs then me."

"Hehe, not a problem for me." Naruto laughed before calling out to Sakura. "How's it going?"

"Fine." She called back. "We're enjoying ourselves!"

"I wonder why this guy wants to fight you so bad?" Naruto mused aloud. "I mean he doesn't seem to be giving Sakura his full attention!"

"Not sure." Sasuke shrugged. "But I do know that if he doesn't start giving her his full, undivided attention he's gonna end up a broken bag of bones."

"Dammit!" The Kusa ninja cursed before vomiting out another man, much to the disgust and horror of the team. The new man wore a similar outfit to the Kusa ninja, who was now lying on a tree branch like a deflated blow-up doll, but was paler and had distinctive purple markings around his eyes. "Dammit, I've wasted too much time and energy... I'll just have to trust the rumours are true!"

Before anyone could process the fact that a Kusa ninja had just vomited out a fully clothed man, said man preformed a hand seal which caused his neck to extend. Thrusting his head forward, the man bit down on Sasuke's neck. As Sasuke collapsed from whatever he'd done, the man's neck retracted to it's normal length. Sakura lunged forward, slapping one hand over his mouth to prevent him vomiting out any other people and to hold him in place while she began to viciously beat him senseless. When she'd finished punching the guy into a bloody pulp, Sakura cocooned him in webbing and began to swing him into any and every tree branch and trunk in reach. After that she simply tossed the bruised, bloody and broken body deep into the forest.

"He's okay right?" Sakura asked Naruto as soon as she rejoined the boys. "We mean he heals from any wound!"

"I dunno." Naruto admitted. "I mean I've seen him down a bottle of bleach for a bet only to complain about the taste... Anything that could cause him to react like this has got to be bad."

"We should find somewhere to hide him." Sakura said, worry clear in her voice.

"Yeah." Naruto agreed. "lets go."

XX Elsewhere in the Forest XX

Orochimaru dragged himself along the ground using the only unbroken finger he had. He didn't know what that... That thing was, but he'd make it regret ever crossing him when he was done.

"I-it hit... Hit like T-Tsunade." He whimpered. "B-but was m-more a-a-agile than me... What a monster!"

_'When I find Kabuto, we will be having a nice long talk about why providing me with faulty information on dear, sweet Sasuke's team mates is a bad idea!' _Orochimaru thought to himself. It was the only thing that gave him the strength to keep going. _'Once I recover enough chakra to use my Body Shedding Technique that is... Really need to find a way to reduce the amount of chakra it consumes!'_

_**XXXXX**_

_**There we go... While writing this I realised that having the Forest of Death be where Sakura shows just how unbeatable she is won't work, because of the Oto genin. I mean I can't think of a worse enemy for Sakura... Well maybe Madara himself since he's got some insanely huge fire jutsu and Venom is actually rather resilient to sonic attacks compared to it's descendents, at the trade off of being far weaker to fire [My little brother has a Spider-Man Annual with this awesome fight between Venom and Carnage where they both use those strengths and weaknesses to their own advantage, with Carnage starting a chemical fire to panic Venom and Venom triggering the fire alarm to disorient and hurt Carnage]. So the Oto genin will bet a spot in the lime light next chapter... And then suffer a lot when Sasuke wakes up.**_

_**Okay, I premise that next chapter will see the beginning of that misconception I mentioned a while ago... It'll be funny, trust me.**_

_**I'm dyslexic, so please point out any mistakes in spelling or grammar [I spell things the way they do in England and Ireland, so some things may look off to Americans]. Please leave your opinion via review or send them via PM, I'd like to know what you think. Well, I think that's everything I've gotta say so, hope you enjoyed the chapter.**_

_**This is Highvalour saying bye and thanks for reading.**_


	25. Nipped In The Bud

_**As early as the Bell Test the members of Team Seven showed serious flaws, so I got to thinking about how the major flaw of each of the team could be fixed at that early stage and I came up with this little scene a few weeks back. Didn't write it at the time, but after playing through Old World Blues [which used both the organ symbolism and Wizard of Oz ref I had in mind] I decided to write it up.**_

_**Another chapter, another attempt to entertain you all. I honestly do not have anything else to add, so on with the show!**_

_**Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto .**_

_**XXXXX**_

XX Third Training Ground XX 

"You three pass!" Kakashi announced to the three genin. As the three showed their joy in their own way Kakashi looked them over. Each had the potential to be great, each had the potential to surpass him in the future. Each could become a legend, of that he was sure. "And you should quit now."

"Wha?" Naruto asked in shock. "You said we passed! Why are you telling us to give up?"

"Because I don't think any of you have what it takes right now." Kakashi told them bluntly. It was the truth, Kakashi could see the potential but doubted they would achieve that potential as they where right now. "You all lack something, something very important... And unless you find it, you will fail!"

"And what, exactly, do we lack?" Sasuke asked. "What's stopping me, us, from succeeding?"

"Thank you for volunteering Sasuke, I'll start with you!" Kakashi declared happily, turning to face the last loyal Uchiha. "You lack compassion. You don't care about others and if you see them as being weak or useless you just ignore them! That's what happened earlier right? You felt neither Naruto nor Sakura would be of use to you in completing your objective and so you ignored them."

"They'd of just gotten in my way." Sasuke said in defence of his actions. "They weren't good enough and my chances where better without them!"

"I use to think like you..." Kakashi said sadly as he raised his forehead protector, showing the scar that started just above his eyebrow and ended below his cheek bone. "... And it cost me an eye... It cost me my eye and even more importantly it cost me my first and only friend in close to seven years."

"I-I didn't... Sorry." Sasuke muttered, clearly shaken by the clearly worthless eye. To the Uchiha, and to any with a dojutsu, blindness was considered second only to death on the scale of things to avoid if at all possible. "W-Who was your friend?"

"He was a cousin of your father's." Kakashi answered as he opened his eye, revealing a blood red pupil with three black tomoe in a triangular pattern around his iris. "Obito Uchiha."

"Obito!" Sasuke repeated as he stared transfixed at the sharingan. He knew the name, his father had often compared Sasuke to his dead cousin whenever the question of if Sasuke would ever activate his sharingan.

"Yes, Obito." Kakashi said as he closed the eye and pulled his forehead protector back down. "Like me, you have all the skills and the will to make it as a shinobi... But Sasuke, without the ability to act out of compassion or to care for others you face a life of sorrow and regret."

"W-What was with his eye?" Naruto whispered to Sakura.

"And that is your problem Naruto." Kakashi said, cutting off Sakura's answer. "You lack the intelligence to make it."

"Hey! Don't call me dumb!" Naruto snapped, struggling to free himself from the thick ropes. "It's not my fault the academy sucked!"

"No, but it is your fault you skipped classes." Kakashi told him. "I know some of the instructors weren't fair to you, and that is something that I'll see is fixed, but you chose to skip classes to pull your little pranks. You chose to sleep during lectures instead of paying attention... They had there preconceptions but you did nothing to challenge them."

"Oh, I guess so..." Naruto sighed. ".. Eh, what's 'preconception' mean?"

"It means making a decision or forming an opinion on something before actually doing it." Sasuke told him, wondering what Kakashi was referring to. "In this case he's saying the instructors had already made up their minds about you before before they met you."

"That's right, they saw you as trouble and you just proved them right." Kakashi told him. "You have all this chakra and all this stamina but you don't have a clue how to use it. In our little fight, when you created your clones while in the river you ended up wasting nearly twice the energy you used to make them... Naruto you have a choice, you can either continue as you are wasting so much chakra and be only good for large and flashy jutsu but little else or you can study and train to make yourself a truly skilled ninja? You have the potential, the pranks you set show you can do well if you apply yourself."

"What about me sensei?" Sakura asked when it became clear Kakashi wasn't going to go on. "What do I lack?"

"Courage, will, a spine... lots of ways of putting it." Kakashi told her. "You had the highest grade for genjutsu out of the the three of you... And you fell for the one I used. You where the smartest student in your year and you thought Sasuke had been beheaded. You didn't even attempt to take a bell, you just ran around looking for Sasuke. What you need to do is toughen up and focus. Forget boys, forget diets and forget whatever silly little idea you have about what it's like as a shinobi because unless you focus on being a shinobi you and your team will die... It's as simple as that!"

With that said Kakashi moved to untie Naruto. As the blond rubbed at the rope burns he'd given himself earlier Kakashi thought about what he would do with the team, assuming they did decide to stay on as Shinobi.

"You all have a choice, you have three options before you. One, you take this chance and drop out... No one will think any less of you for not passing my exam. Two, you apply for a transfer to a different genin team. I've said I'll pass you and a pass from me looks better on your record then a pass from any other jonin active right now or three, you agree to what I'm saying and try to find what I feel you lack..." Kakashi told them as he turned to head back to the village proper. "I'll be outside the Hokage's office tomorrow morning at eight thirty, nine o' clock is the deadline for providing the results from these tests. If you are there before nine I will report you as having passed, if not I'll take it to mean you've chosen to drop out. If you show, let me know if you want to train under me... Or find someone else. See you then"

XX Outside The Hokage's Office XX

Kakashi arrived at eight twenty-five, the first time in over a decade he'd shown up early. Unsurprisingly, Naruto was there already leaning against the outer wall. Nothing was going to stop him from achieving his dream, even if it was study.

"I'm ready to take whatever you throw at me Kakashi-sensei!" He declared loudly. "I'll study anything you tell me too, I mean it! I'll learn whatever you tell me too and I won't complain."

"I'm glad to here that." Kakashi smiled at his new student. The pair waited in silence to see if either Sakura or Sasuke would arrive. Sakura was the next to arrive at twenty to nine.

"I'll willing to try my best." She announced. And so the trio waited for the final possible member of the team. At five to nine, Kakashi let out a soft sigh and moved to enter the building.

"So..." A voice called from atop the wall. "How, exactly, do you plan to teach empathy?"

_**XXXXX**_

_**Original working title 'Insert Oz Reference Here!' but since I cut out the actual Wizard of Oz reference [it was the exact same as the one in Old World Blues] I decided to change it. Well, what do you think? Won't be expanding on it, it's just something I though of one day while doing some gardening.**_

_**I'm dyslexic, so please point out any mistakes in spelling or grammar [I spell things the way they do in England and Ireland, so some things may look off to Americans]. Please leave your opinion via review or send them via PM, I'd like to know what you think. Well, I think that's everything I've gotta say so, hope you enjoyed the chapter.**_

_**This is Highvalour saying bye and thanks for reading.**_


	26. Ouroboros 2

_**Sasuke's Stats are as follows: Ninjutsu 5, taijutsu 3.5, Genjutsu 4, intelligence 3.5, strength 2, speed 3, stamina 2 and hand seals 3. that gives him a total stat rating of 26 out of 40. I've given him these stats as they are match the skills [ninjutsu, taijutsu, genjutsu and intelligence] he's learned over time and the physical limitations of his younger body [strength, speed, stamina and hand seals]. The actual figures where taken from either the first or third data books. This means he can use any technique he had at his disposal when he faced Itachi, but a lot of them will most likely result in a severe case of either chakra exhaustion or death. I was tempted to reduce his intelligence rating slightly as a result of him being somewhat insane, but remembered sanity and intelligence aren't mutually exclusive. That means that, going by stat ratings, Sasuke is starting this time around on par with both Naruto and Sakura [from Shippuden].**_

_**Another chapter, another attempt to entertain you all. I honestly do not have anything else to add, so on with the show!**_

_**Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.**_

XX Konoha Academy XX

"that's nice." Sasuke said, turning to face Kakashi. "And who are you?"

"Kakashi Hatake, your sensei." Kakashi answered as he rubbed the top of his head. That book had hurt. "Now, meet me on the roof."

Sasuke and his teammates followed Kakashi up to the roof. When they arrived and were seated Kakashi spoke again.

""Okay." Kakashi said. "Let's start with you introducing yourselves."

"What do you want to know?" Sakura asked from her seat to Sasuke's right.

"Eh likes, dislikes, dreams for the future." Kakashi shrugged. "That kind of thing."

"You go first!" Sasuke told Kakashi. "We already know each other."

"Me? Alright." Kakashi said as he blew out in an overly dramatic fashion. "My name is Kakashi Hatake! I have no desire to tell you my likes or dislikes... Dreams for the future, hmm... I have lots of hobbies."

"So... All he told us was his name?" Sakura muttered

"Now it's your turn..." Kakashi said before pointing at Naruto. "Lets start on the right."

"Right, my name is Naruto Uzumaki. What I like is cup ramen, what I like even more is when Iruka sensei pays for my ramen. What I dislike is waiting three minutes for the ramen to cook..." Naruto spewed forth, proving that a good sixty percent of his attention was on ramen at any one time. "And my dream... Is to surpass the Hokage and then have the people of this village acknowledge my existence!"

"I acknowledge your existence." Sasuke said. "I mean it's kinda hard to deny you exist seeing as how you seem to spend most of your time running around screaming 'Look at me! Look at me!'. I haven't had to set an alarm clock in over a year! That said, you're always good for a laugh"

"T-Thanks." Naruto said after a minute.

"Okay, next." Kakashi cut in, inwardly smiling at how interesting Naruto was. He was also smiling because it seemed the Academy reports had been wrong about Sasuke, the boy wasn't like he'd been as a child.

"My name is Sasuke Uchiha. Don't really like much... Dislike a lot, as for a dream..." Sasuke trailed off. What was his dream? He'd killed Itachi, sure Itachi would be alive again but Sasuke had his vengeance. So what was there? Once he'd said he wanted to resurrect his clan but that had eventually vanished as vengeance became all important. "... As for a dream, just live!"

"I see, and lastly the girl." Kakashi said.

"My name is Sakura Hanuro. The thing I like is... Well the person I like is... And uhm, my dream for the future... uhm...? Sakura said, throwing Sasuke quick glances every time she paused before lapsing off into . While he hadn't been paying attention before, he noticed it now and had had to admit it was kind of creepy. Not check your food for sedatives creepy like Karin had been but still kinda creepy. "What I dislike... Is Naruto!"

"So much for the introductions." Kakashi said, breaking the silence that had fallen following Sakura's declaration that she disliked Naruto "Tomorrow we'll start our duties as shinobi"

"Yeah?" Naruto declared. "What kind of duties?"

"First we are gonna do something with just the four of us." Kakashi told them, letting just a hint of mischief into his voice.

"What is it? What is it?" Naruto asked excitedly, bouncing up and down.

"Survival training." Kakashi answered.

"Survival training?" Naruto repeated in confusion.

"Why is this the first thing we're doing? Sakura asked. "We did enough training at the Academy!"

"This is different, isn't it?" Sasuke asked in a dull, uninterested voice. Or at least the kind of dull, uninterested voice everyone ends up using when they are interested but want to act uninterested.

"Nope." Kakashi laughed. "It's anything but normal. For starters I'll be your opponent... Hehe... Hehehe."

"What's so funny sensei?" Sakura asked when Kakashi just continued to laugh.

"Uhm... Well it's just that, hehe, when I tell you this you guys are going to freak out..." Kakashi answered, chuckling softly. "Of the twenty-nine graduates, only nine will be chosen to become genin... The rest will be sent back to the Academy."

"Seems kinda wasteful." Sasuke cut in. "While I can understand the village only wanting the best in it's army, what happens if the best in the class is put on a team that drags him, or her, down? Or if the dead last got put on a team that was good enough to carry him, or her? Wouldn't it make more sense to simply make the Academy harder, to weed out those not able to make it then and get rid of this stupid final test with a sixty-six percent fail rate?"

"Are... Are you talking about this team, Sasuke?" Sakura asked, wondering if he felt they'd have to carry Naruto through the survival training... Or if he thought she and Naruto would hold him back.

"What? No, although now that I think about it..." Sasuke said, turning to face her. " Does this team seem a little stacked to you? I mean you have me, Rookie of the Year and the only loyal Uchiha. There's you, highest scoring in theory and analytical subjects, and then there's Naruto... Which speaks for itself!"

"Why does Naruto being on our team 'speak for itself'?" Sakura asked in confusion.

"Because he's the..." Sasuke began before realising that news about Naruto holding the Kyuubi was still meant to be a secret. "...Hokage's favourite of course. This team is made up of the three students with the most skill, intelligence and political clout!"

"But wouldn't Hinata, Shikamaru or Choji have more clout?" Sakura countered, completely confused as to why she was even considering arguing with Sasuke. "What with being clan heirs?"

"And do you see any of them being able to get a face-to-face with the Hokage at the drop of a hat? Or being able to ask him for almost anything and have a chance, however slim, of getting it?" Sasuke argued back. "Hell do you see Hinata being able to ask anyone, outside of the Branch Families, for something and even hope to get it?"

"Wait! Hinata, Shikamaru and Choji are clan heirs?" Naruto asked, completely lost.

"Yes Naruto, they are clan heirs." Sasuke told him. "In face so am I... I think... I actually need to check if I'm technically heir or Clan Head when we're done here."

"How can you not know if you're one or the other?" Kakashi cut in, trying to work out how someone could not know if they where a clan's head or simply the heir.

"Because Itachi was my father's heir." Sasuke pointed out before taking several pills from the case labelled 'Antidepressants'. "So when Father died Itachi should of become Head with me becoming heir, until Itachi either fathered a child or named someone else his heir. But with Itachi killing everyone else and running away he was never actually named Clan Head... Actually nor has he been stripped of his name, that's another thing I'll have to look up."

"Stripped of his name?" Sakura asked, not being aware of the meaning.

"It means kicked out of the clan." Kakashi told her and Naruto. "If it's done, neither Itachi nor any children of his can ever claim to be Uchiha... I think he'll even to erased from official clan records, right?"

"How do you erase someone?" Naruto asked, like Sakura he didn't come from a clan environment and so had no idea of just how serious it was.

"You take every single clan document made since the person's birth and doctor them to remove the clan's name from the person's one... I'll have to ask the Hokage to have the village's documents altered as well." Sasuke explained to his teammates. "Of course for that to happen you need an unanimous vote from every other adult member of the clan in the presence of an allied non-clan member who is there to ensure there is no coercion or deceit occurring... You know, if I find Kiba within the next half an hour I could get it done and out of the way before Records close!"

"The Uchiha and Inuzuka are allies?" Kakashi asked, having never heard of such an alliance existing.

"Well one clan was so bloodthirsty they made themselves the personal attack dogs of just about anyone that was willing to pay, and could provide them with enemies to fight, and actually refused to allow blood feuds to end as it would limit the amount of people they could attack without any ethical issues while the other clan was just as savage as the hounds they fought along side!" Sasuke answered. "Our clans use to get along like a house on fire... Which they tended to leave a lot of when they worked together actually. After both settled in Konoha it became less important to either clan but I don't think it's ever been officially dissolved."

"That seems like a lot of effort to just stop someone being able to use a name." Naruto commented.

"How important is your name to you? Imagine someone came up to you tomorrow and told you that you could never call yourself an Uzumaki ever again. Imagine being told you no longer belong, that as far as your entire family is concerned you do not exist to them any more." Sasuke said. "In the centuries my clan has kept written records I think it's been done once, That's how serious this is to the Uchiha. We've produced some really messed up warriors in the past but only one was so bad he was disowned before this... He was disowned for trying exactly what Itachi did."

"Well as interesting as this little lesson on clan history is, it has nothing to do with your test tomorrow." Kakashi announced, drawing the subject back to their, hopefully, final test. "Everything you need to know is here on these sheets... Oh, and skip breakfast or you'll just throw up."

XX Naruto's Apartment XX

"Yeah?" Naruto asked as he opened the door.

"Penthouse apartment, nice!" Sasuke complemented from where he was leaning against the railing across from the door.

"Thanks." Naruto said happily before realising it was quite late and he'd been about to go to sleep. "What are you doing here at this time of night?"

"I tracked down a few of Kakashi's old students... Well he actually has no old students unless you count a few of the younger guys in ANBU, but I talked to a few people who took his test and failed it in the past. Thought you might want to know what to expect?" Sasuke answered with a shrug. "We're to try and get a pair of bells from him tomorrow while hungry, frustrated and under the belief that only two can pass... That last one is part of a second, more important, test! To see if we can set aside our differences and work together as a team. Kakashi seems to be real big on teamwork... And on being late to just about everything."

"Really? Th-thanks. Thanks a lot for telling me." Naruto said, wondering just how strong where the pills Sasuke had gotten to make him this nice so quickly.

"It's fine." Sasuke yawned. "Listen, I'm going. I spent a lot of time breaking into Records, finding Kakashi's file and using it to track down people he'd tested. I'm exhausted and I still need to stop and tell Sakura... See you in the morning."

"It's really late, don't you think Sakura will be annoyed if you call?" Naruto asked, hoping Sasuke wouldn't go to her house.

"You kidding? Me, waking her up in the middle of the night to tell her something really important that can't wait until morning... I'll bet money it'll be a dream come true." Sasuke laughed before preforming the Body Flicker and vanishing.

"Yeah, I know." Naruto muttered before going inside and to bed.

_**XXXXX**_

_**The Naruto Wiki only listed the fathers of Hinata, Choji and Shikamaru as being the Head of their respective clan... And since I use that site as my main source of info [saves me having to go looking through entire arcs for information] I'm only listing them as heirs here.**_

_**As for the Uchiha and Inuzuka being old allies, it's not even a fan theory. I just remembered that Sasuke and Kiba seemed to be fairly friendly before the start of the Chunin Exams [could of easily used the Aburame since Sasuke and Shino seemed to be on good terms just before Shino fought Kankuro during the Invasion] and thought I'd throw it in. The alliance, nor the Name stripping thing, actually exist in canon. And yes, Sasuke was referring to Madara [at least in the continuity of this story's verse the Uchiha took his attempt to destroy Konoha, and them along with it, as a pretty serious act and decided that simply having stripped him of leadership wasn't enough... Also explains why Sasuke didn't know the name when the Kyuubi mentioned it].**_

_**I'm dyslexic, so please point out any mistakes in spelling or grammar [I spell things the way they do in England and Ireland, so some things may look off to Americans]. Please leave your opinion via review or send them via PM, I'd like to know what you think. Well, I think that's everything I've gotta say so, hope you enjoyed the chapter.**_

_**This is Highvalour saying bye and thanks for reading.**_


	27. Ouroboros 3

_**I'm on a bit of a kick here, really want to at least get through Wave Arc since I think it'll be good. Eh yeah I'm not gonna write the bell Test itself because the way I see it going can be summed up as follows: They work together, they fail to get the bell! They work together, they fail to get the bell! They work together, time runs out... Before they fail to get the bell! Kakashi is just to good, and Naruto and Sakura to bad, for them to have any hope of getting a bell [they can't even use the trick Naruto and Sakura used in Shippuden since there's no new book to spoil].**_

_**Another chapter, another attempt to entertain you all. I honestly do not have anything else to add, so on with the show!**_

_**Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto .**_

_**XXXXX**_

XX Third Training Ground XX 

"You three failed to even get a single bell between you. You failed at your assigned mission, wasted several chances to try and steal a bell because you stopped to ensure your teammates where okay and you, Sasuke, held back on more then one occasion to avoid wounding Naruto or Sakura!" Kakashi lectured as he paced back and forth. He was clearly disappointed in them and did not look like he would be allowing them to pass.

"Last time I ever listen to you!" Naruto hissed at Sasuke while Kakashi continued to list the things they did wrong. He would of crossed his arms for emphasis, but he couldn't as the three of them had been tied to stumps.

"Wait for it." Sasuke whispered back, completely calm.

"And that's why I think I'll pass you... Great job team!" Kakashi announced, finishing off his rant. "And I have to say, despite all the things you did wrong, Sasuke is the first person to ever treat this test as an actual mission!"

"Wait what?" Naruto asked, turning his neck to look at Kakashi so fast he nearly gave himself whiplash.

"Well he's the first person to ever do some background research." Kakashi explained. "He took me name, broke into Records to look me up, found the names and addresses of several potential students who'd failed my test and asked them for advice. He then went and told both of you what to expect, in other words he researched the target and planned ahead... Of course if you three had failed to actually work together today it would of all been for nothing, but since you did and you all showed concern for each other I'm going to let you pass."

"Actually I think the 'wait what' was about us passing, not me planning ahead!" Sasuke pointed out before cutting through the ropes with a kunai.

"Did I say you could untie yourself?" Kakashi asked.

"No." Sasuke admitted. "But you never said I couldn't either, loophole abuse is a great thing!"

"I guess." Kakashi sighed. "You know I had this great little speech I was going to use, about you three where just punks who should quit as you weren't fit to be ninja... I worked real hard on it and all."

"If you want, you could say it to us now?" Sasuke told him as he cut Naruto free, muttering about taking the time to teach Naruto how to get out of ropes on his won. "You know, so as to not waste it or something."

"No, it'll lose it's impact since you guys have already passed... shame too, I was so sure I'd perfected it after last year." Kakashi sighed again before telling them where and when they would meet each morning before going to get missions.

"So... You guys wanna learn something cool?" Sasuke asked once Kakashi had left. He removed an old and battered scroll from his kunai pouch. "It's how to climb a tree, or any vertical surface, using only chakra. Doing it can help build stamina, which you kinda need Sakura, and chakra control, which you most definitely need Naruto."

"I do not!" Naruto snapped, only to for Sasuke to stare at him in silence for several seconds. "... Okay, maybe a little extra control wouldn't hurt."

"Yeah, I thought you'd agree." Sasuke said before unrolling the scroll. "So I tried this out a few days ago and I think I have it down, why don't you two read this and then watch to see how it's done?"

XX Forest Surrounding Konoha XX

"What's your distance to the target?" Kakashi asked into his headset.

"Five metres." Sakura answered. "I'm ready any time."

"So am I." Came Naruto's reply.

"Give me a minute." Sasuke said before going silent. What followed involved several thuds, a pair of startled gasps and an alarmed shriek. "Got the damn cat!"

"Ribbon on the left ear... You sure this is the target, Tora?" Kakashi asked.

"Stupid ribbon on it's stupid ear, yeah it's the stupid cat!" Sasuke growled. He hated cats. Regardless if they belonged to a Daimyo's wife, an army led by a Nekomata or to the group the Uchiha had left to guard their hidden supply catches. "lets drop of the damn thing and be done with it!"

XX Hokage's Tower XX

Ohh, my little Tora. I was so worried!" Cooed the Fire Daimyo's wife.

"I still say we should of dropped it in the Inuzuka kennels and put bets on how long it lasted." Sasuke whispered. "But seeing how the owner acts, I'm kinda glad we found the cat."

"Now Team Seven for your next mission..." The Hokage began once the Daimyo's wife had left. "... Babysitting an Elder's Grandson, shopping in a neighbouring village and helping with the potato picking?"

"No! No! No! No, thank you!" Naruto interrupted. "I want to do a more incredible mission, Find us a better one!"

_'Thank you Nartuo, you've just saved me the trouble of trying to come up with a way to convince the Hokage to let us do an actual mission.' _Sasuke thought to himself while Iruka and Naruto argued._ ' Huh, pretty sure this is when we get the mission to Wave Country... What happened in Wave again? We met Zabuza, I learned Kakashi had a sharingan, got my sharingan, Kakashi finally got of his ass and taught us something. Naruto did something as well... Oh yeah, Kyuubi chakra!'_

"Hey! Listen!" The Hokage yelled, snapping Sasuke out of his thoughts.

"I... I apologise..." Kakashi said nervously. Seemed Naruto had been caught openly ignoring whatever the Hokage had been talking about.

"Geez... All you do is give lectures like that. But you know what? I'm not the trouble-making brat you still think I am!" Naruto yelled before turning his back to the Hokage and muttering to himself. "Sigh... I'm going to get yelled at later for this..."

"Okay, if you want it that much... I'll give you a C-Rank mission." The Hokage said. "You'll be protecting a certain individual."

"Who? Who? A Daimyo? A princess?" Naruto asked, nearly bouncing in excitement.

"Calm down, I'm about to introduce him." The Hokage said to a door. "Hey, will you come in here?"

"What's this? They are all a bunch of super brats!" Complained a clearly drunk man who entered and shut the door the Hokage had addressed. "Especially the shortest one with the super stupid looking face! Are you really a ninja? Hey?"

As soon as the drunk had finished insulting Naruto, a pair of kunai linked by a chain had embedded themselves in the door either side of his throat. Everyone's eyes turned to Sasuke, who let his out stretched arm fall limply to his side. Walking over to the terrified old man, Sasuke reached up and hooked a finger into one of the links of the chain. With a simple tug the kunai came free.

"I think you'll find..." Sasuke laughed as he put the kunai away. "... That this team is more than capable of protecting you on this C-Ranked mission, so relax and enjoy yourself!"

"R-Right... I-I'm the master bridge builder, Tazuna." The drunk introduced himself. "I expect you to provide protection for me and my family from now until I finish a bridge in my home of Wave Country."

"Sasuke is right, my team has been trained to the point where they can handle a simple C-Rank." Kakashi laughed.

"Yeah, no thanks to you." Naruto muttered under his breath.

"Naruto, be a little more respectful!" Iruka snapped.

"No he's right Iruka sensei!" Sakura spoke up. "Most of what we've learned since passing the test has been from Sasuke taking scrolls in to show us."

"He just hang around the memorial stone or sit in a tree reading porn!" Sasuke chipped in. "Then he'll show up claiming he had to help a little girl get an old lady out of a tree or help a pet cat take it's shopping home or some other stupid excuse!"

"Hehe, lets go and pack." Kakashi cut in quickly before ushering his team out of the office.

XX Random Road In Fire Country XX

Team Seven made it's way down an empty country road. Kakashi had just finished explaining about the five Great Villages and the five kages.

_'Why wasn't the geopolitical landscape covered in the Academy?' _Sasuke wondered to himself as he stepped over a puddle in the middle of the road._ ' There's something important about that puddle! What is it again?... Oh right, those Demon Brothers guys from Kiri.'_

But don't worry, there won't be any ninja combat on a C-Ranked mission." Kakashi told Sakura.

"Then, we won't come in contact with foreign ninja?" Sakura asked, relieved.

As the team moved away from the puddle Gōzu and Meizu, the Demon Brothers of Kiri, rose out of it and rushed forward.

"One down!" Meizu chuckled as they tore Kakashi apart with their chain. As the chunks of the Jonin fell to the ground they turned to face the closest genin, Naruto, and laughed. "Two down!"

Sasuke swung around and fired the twin-linked kunai, one passed over and the other under the Demon Brother's chain and when both embedded themselves in the ground it trapped the Kiri nin. Before either could disconnect the chain from their gauntlets Sasuke Body Flickered between both of them. Meizu went down when Sasuke kicked out at his knee, resulting in a horrible crunching sound as the hinge socket buckled from the force of the blow. Gōzu's snarl of rage turned into a yelp of pain as Sasuke caught his arm and with three quick movements had dislocated his wrist, elbow and shoulder. Sasuke then delivered a vicious blow to the back of the man's head to knock him out.

"You alright..." Sasuke began as he turned to face Naruto before deciding to get in from friendly mocking. "... Mr. Scaredy Cat?"

"Next time... Next time I'll show you up!" Naruto vowed after taking a minute to pull himself together.

"I'm sure you will." Sasuke laughed, the mocking tone still there. _'I know you will... I haven't forgotten who's plan freed Kakashi from Zabuza's jutsu. _"You'll be just like Obito's eyes, won't you?"

"That's an interesting choice of words, Sasuke!" Kakashi announced as he stepped out from behind a nearby tree. "Care to explain them?"

"It's just something my father use to say." Sasuke told him. "It means starting out weak but proving yourself great when it counts!"

"I see." Kakashi said before moving to wake up and interrogate Gōzu. After learning that Tazuna was the target and arguing with Kakashi for several minutes the team set onward for Wave Country. "I hope I don't regret this!"

"Oh and Naruto, thanks!" Sasuke said as he prepared to take point again.

"For what?" Naruto asked, confused.

"For what else?" Sasuke laughed before walking ahead. "Keeping us all alive for the last twelve and a half years!"

_**XXXXX**_

_**Sasuke, unable to deal with how weak the other two where at this point in time has taken matters into his own hands to get them up to a level he considers acceptable.**_

_**I'm dyslexic, so please point out any mistakes in spelling or grammar [I spell things the way they do in England and Ireland, so some things may look off to Americans]. Please leave your opinion via review or send them via PM, I'd like to know what you think. Well, I think that's everything I've gotta say so, hope you enjoyed the chapter.**_

_**This is Highvalour saying bye and thanks for reading.**_


	28. Why?

_**I was looking through the Naruto Wiki and, after noticing what some of the characters ages where [Kushina and Minato are the only parents of a Rookie Nine member shown in the manga without an age], I felt like writing this... It's an expanded version of another idea I once had as to why Kushina and Mikoto knew each other and where friends [that does not involve both of them being teammates, as I've seen in a lot of fics]. This One Shot is gonna be one of the few fics I do that will have an OC with some relevance to the plot, minor as it will be.**_

_**{WARNING: RANT AHEAD! SKIP IF UNINTERESTED}**_

_**On an unrelated note, I deeply regret writing Sasuke gets Kamui'd as now I can't watch, read or play anything without thinking if the plot would make an interesting sequel to it... I'm only five episodes, and about an hour or two on Tvtropes, into Avatar: The Last Airbender and I've started thinking up a bloody outline in my head! I mean it,:**_

_**. I've got ideas on Bending vs. Elemental Jutsu. Naruto Chakra advantages apply ie: Sasuke's Chidori would beat an Earthbender's technique [even got, what I think is, a so-so reason for it] while Aang's Airbending will beat a Chidori with ease [again because of the so-so reason]. Bending being more fluid and effective, especially when done during hand-to-hand combat, while jutsu [A or S Ranked] are more powerful, but take time to preform[think how Zuko could turn a punch or kick that fell short into a fireball instantly while Sasuke would need time, even if it's just a fraction of a second, to convert and channel his chakra to preform a fire jutsu].**_

_**. How Sasuke would develop as a character: Does he become a great hero alongside Aang, become a tyrant for the Fire Nation or effectively become Aang's 'Danzo' [someone who, with or without permission, will act for the best of the person and his cause... Even it if means doing morally questionable things].**_

_**. Why Sasuke would side with either side: With Aang - Either because Aang appeals to the last shred of goodness in him, because of what happened to the Air Nomads [Before meeting Tobi, I would imagine Sasuke would react in a very bad way to massacres/genocide] or Nihilism [he doesn't care and just wants to fight at this point, die in battle or something]. With the Fire Nation – Hedonism/Nihilism, he's killed Itachi and now wants to enjoy himself/doesn't care at all! **_

_**. Running joke: "Curse you blood loss, my one true enemy!" [You'd get it if I wrote the fic]**_

_**See what I mean, I only started watching last night and I've gotten all that so far! Stupid chapter, stupid possibilities... Stupid imagination!**_

_**{ END OF RANT, SORRY ABOUT THAT}**_

_**Anyway, back to this chapter. I'm mainly using this as an experiment. To see if I can write emotions well, I want to try and get happiness, sorrow, grief and rage across [and if I fail, find out why?] and show character development over time [going from young and fairly naive/innocent to older, angrier and jaded] . Stories like Team Eight or Ouroboros will be using this as a basic backstory. [referencing or quoting it when dealing with Sasuke or the Uchiha Clan pre-massacre]**_

_**Another chapter, another attempt to entertain you all. I honestly do not have anything else to add, so on with the show!**_

_**Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto .**_

_**XXXXX**_

XX Hokage's Tower XX

Fugaku Uchiha made his way to the Hokage's office. He'd been chosen by the Hokage to take over a team who's original sensei had been killed when the team had encountered, and been attacked by, a group of Kumo ninja. Kumo had claimed the group had gone rogue a week before, but Fugaku didn't believe that.

_'That message arrived far to soon after the attack!' _Fugaku though to himself._ 'They clearly attacked the team for some reason, but why?'_

His father had said that being asked to take over the team was an honour... And a sign that the Hokage had complete faith in the Clan! What was so special about this team? It had no clan heirs and while there was an Inuzuka, the alliance between the clans had all but fallen through since the founding of Konoha. He didn't know why and his father refused to explain, claiming it was not his place to reveal such knowledge.

"Thanks dad, great help as usual." Fugaku muttered before stopping outside the door to the Hokage's office. Without even looking, Fugaku addressed the ANBU stationed to the right of the door. "Hiding with Camouflage is worthless against someone who can sense, or see, chakra... Please tell the Hokage I've arrived as requested!"

The ANBU made no sign that she'd do so, either ignoring him or hoping he hadn't actually detected her and always said that outside the door. It took Fugaku reaching over and attempting to remove her mask to make her realise he had, in fact, detected her! She moved aside and activated a seal, which alerted the Hokage that someone was outside to see him and also unlocked the door.

"Come in!" The Hokage called, letting him know he was allowed in now. "Ah Fugaku, please have a seat. I'm sure you're wondering what this is about?"

"Lord Hokage!" Fugaku greeted with a bow, his father had always taught him to respect Clan Heads and the office of Hokage. For a long time now the unofficial policy of the Uchiha Clan had been to support Konoha and it's beliefs. To some this was a way of fighting against the Clan's 'curse' while to others, Fugaku included, it was a way of distancing themselves from Madara and his actions. "My father explained that you had chosen me to a recently deceased sensei... He mentioned that teaching this particular team was an honour, but did not reveal why."

"Yes, well I'll have to explain why... What I am about to tell you is classified top secret, an S-Rank, understood?" The Hokage told him... He told him a lot.

XX Training Field XX

_'A Jinchuuriki!'_ Fugaku mentally screamed when he met his new team. _'He put me in charge of the living prison of the fucking Kyuubi!... So, that's what father meant about faith in us! By entrusting the Kyuubi's host to me, the Hokage is saying he trusts the Clan and knows we where not involved in Madara's deranged attack. And by picking me, the heir, he's strengthening the ties between the Clan and village as a whole.'_

Hidden from view, and suppressing his scent, Fugaku watched the children he would be training. They had graduated two years ago and two of them had made chunin. Kushina Uzumaki, the sole kunoichi, sat against one of the training posts and was reading a scroll. She had her clan's distinctive red hair and still retained a bit of the baby fat around her face. Near her and practising katas was Yakumi Uchiha, the son of a second cousin Fugaku disliked. On the far side of the training field, and trying to tear apart a training post, was Kiba Inuzuka. From the profiles he'd been given, Fugaku knew that the Inuzuka had been the closest to his predecessor and had taken the death the hardest.

"Good morning class!" Fugaku called, Body Flickering into the centre of the training field. The first to recover from the shock of his appearance was Yakumi.

"Sir!" He greeted respectfully as he bowed.

"At ease Yakumi." Fugaku said, before looking at the other two. "No greeting for your new jonin sensei?"

"Great! Now that you're here you can help us get stronger!" Kiba growled.

"Lets get to know each other first, alright?" Fugaku asked politely in that way that made it clear that you didn't actually have a choice. "My name is Fugaku Uchiha. I am heir to the Uchiha Clan and jonin of Konoha. I like onigiri and dislike nattō. My hobbies are studying and training to become stronger. Don't have any dreams yet... Ask me again in a few years."

"My name is Yakumi, Sir!" Yakumi said, still being overly formal due to Fugaku's status. "I'm also of the Uchiha Clan and a chunin. I like dumplings and dislike ramen. My hobby is to train and I dream of joining the Military Police!"

"Well you'll need to train hard, only the best are accepted!" Fugaku told him.

"My name is Kushina Uzumaki!" Kushina yelled, a smile on her face. "I'm an Uzumaki, obviously, and a chunin too. Unlike this idiot I love ramen, salty ramen is the best, but I don't like bitter food! My hobbies, em... Pranks I guess. Hehe... My, eh my dream is a happy life and a family... That's what I dream of!"

"Don't we all?" Fugaku asked, frowning on the inside. While the Clan had made it a habit to avoid the Bijuu when possible, damn things kept rubbing the Sage's choice in their faces when not eating clan members, the Clan had paid close attention to the Jinchuuriki. And so Fugaku knew Kushina most likely wouldn't get her dream... The lives of Jinchuuriki tended to be short, violent and pitiful. Shaking away those thoughts he turned to the last member. "And you?"

"Kiba Inuzuka!" The boy growled. "My dream is to kill as many Kumo ninja as I can!"

"The dead don't care about vengeance!" Fugaku told the angry young boy, unknowingly his own grandfather's argument to Madara in favour of accepting a treaty with the Senju. "Take it from someone who's Clan has made hatred and feuding an art form. Our dead are in the Pure World now, all they want is for as many years as possible to pass before we join them!"

"Whatever." Kiba snorted.

"You guys are my first team." Fugaku announced. "Right, well lets see what you guys can do!"

XX Konoha [Some Time Later] XX

"Has there... Has there been any word?" Fugaku asked, unsure of what else to say.

"N-No." Kushina sobbed into the cushion she clutched to her chest. "N-Nothing."

"Maybe they're in hiding? Maybe they don't want to risk sending a message in case it's intercepted!" Fugaku told her, laying a comforting hand on her shoulder. "It's only been a few days, a message might still come."

"They're gone sensei, everybody is gone..." Kushina wept, tears flowing freely now.

"Well, every soon so will the bastards responsible, Konoha officially declared war on Kiri this morning!" Fugaku promised. "More then half the Clan has crowded into the Hokage's tower to demand that they be in the first wave to land in Water Country."

"Why?" Kushina asked, wiping her eyes on her sleeve. "Why do so many want to be there first?"

"Because the Uzumaki are kin." Fugaku told her. "You may be closer to the Senju, but as much as we Uchiha deny it, you both are kin. More so, you're the only kin we have to have never gone to war with us... No matter who our enemy was you would trade, no matter who demanded it you refused to hand over any wounded Uchiha in your care! We remember that, and while we failed to aid Uzushio in it's hour of need... We will avenge it with fire and steel and whatever can copy from the bastards!"

"When are we being sent?" Kushina asked rising from the couch and gathering her equipment.

"Yakumi, Kiba and I are being sent North to the boarder with Rice Country... Kumo is amassing there to invade." Fugaku told her. "You've been put on leave... So you can mourn."

"No... No, I'm fine." Kushina told him, shaking her head and blinking away the tears. "When are we being deployed?"

"Kushina..." Fugaku sighed before walking over and grabbing her wrists. "... Take the leave, mourn your family... This isn't an order from a commanding officer, it's a plea from a friend!"

"Okay sensei... I-I... Okay..." Kushina sobbed.

XX Forest In Northern Fire Country [A Short Time Later] XX

"You. Stupid. Mongrel!" Fugaku screamed as he beat Kiba. "I told you! I warned you! But did you listen? No! And now Kushina has been taken prisoner! Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!"

"I-It was one of them." Kiba whimpered. "I-I had t-to do it..."

"Because of you, Kushina is a prisoner!" Fugaku hissed, the only thing keeping him from killing Kiba being the boy's nose was needed. "Yakumi, take him and head for Rice Country... If you come across them radio for backup and try to stall them! If you happen to 'stumble on' any Kumo partols, kill them and him...Go!"

"Sir!" Yakumi yelped before grabbing his beaten teammate and moving out.

"They aren't heading for Rice Country and you know it!" Jiraiya said once Yakumi and Kiba had moved out. "They'll take the quickest route available... Past Yug and on into Lightning Country!"

"I know... But it was the Hachibi host he described!" Fugaku admitted. "And neither of them have a chance if they where to encounter him."

"And my team do?" Jiraiya laughed before becoming serious again. "How do you want to do this?"

"Spread out, find her and if possible kill them." Fugaku told him. "At least, that's what I plan to do!"

"Well you heard the man." Jiraiya yelled at his team. "Get moving. Spread out, find her and if possible kill them."

"Thanks Jiraiya." Fugaku told the older man before they split ways.

"Think nothing of it Fugaku." Jiraiya laughed. "She's one of us, we look after our own!"

XX Konoha [Some Time Later] XX

"I'm bored!" Kushina announced with a loud sigh. "I wanna do something fun!"

"Well, don't let me stop you." Fugaku said without looking up from the paperwork he was doing. "But, if possible, please avoid adding to my workload."

"Common sensei, you're no fun!" Kushina whined.

"So you've told me... Many times since I became Head of the Military Police." Fugaku pointed out. The two fell into a comfortable silence for a while before Fugaku put down his pen and looked her in the eye. "So, when is the wedding?"

"Wha? What wedding? I'm not getting married!" Kushina said quickly, waving her hands in front of herself as if to brush away the question. "Why would you say something as silly as that?"

"One, you're humming... You only do that when you're very happy! Two, you're daydreaming... So you're thinking of the future and three, you giggled... Only time you giggle is when you think of having a family, or when I leave you and Mikoto alone together in a room for two long..." Fugaku told her. "So did you propose or did Minomoto do it?"

"Minato! Why do you do that and call him Minomoto And we aren't even dating, so there!" Kushina snapped before cursing. "How is Mikoto doing? I haven't seen her in a while!"

"It bugs you!" Fugaku told her. "She's good, and don't change the subject."

"What's with all the questions? You aren't my dad! What's with you, why are you so nosy?" Kushina snapped.

"You're right, I'm not your dad." Fugaku agreed. "And it's because I'm not your dad that I'm here talking to you and not up at the Hokage's office beating him senseless for getting you pregnant when you 'aren't even dating'!"

"I'm... No, eh... Dammit!" Kushina stuttered. "How did you know?"

"You're rubbing you stomach like Mikoto does." He pointed out. "... And you've been eating my onigiri."

"So? I like onigiri too!" Kushina said, making a last ditch effort to deny it.

"My onigiri are always bitter!" Fugaku smirked. "You've got cravings!"

"Yeah... Yeah I do." Kushina admitted with a pout. "Minato was going to ask you for permission next week. After Obito's... You know."

"Congratulations!" Fugaku laughed.

XX Uchiha District [Many Years Later] XX

"The way we think is different, but I'm still proud of you!" Fugaku told Itachi as he knelt in front of his son... His executioner. It seemed Itachi had chosen the village over his clan. And in a strange way, Fugaku was glad. It meant that his son was free, free of the curse. Both of them where free. "Itachi, promise me that you will take care of Sasuke."

_'So this is to be the end?' _Fugaku wondered._ 'I risked it all and I lost. I wonder why they think we planned this? Do they think the entire Clan united in a single goal? Or do they know we each have our own reasons... Some thought rule was our birthright, fools too much like Madara to see that was never the case. Some felt Konoha was weak under Sarutobi, that we should of went to war instead of offering Hizashi... And some where like me, some wanted our savour recognised. Kushina, I'm sorry... Your little Naruto deserves better.'_

_**XXXXX**_

_**Well? Plot aside, was it good? Did I get the emotions right? Was it well written? Did there seem to be signs of the relationship between sensei and student change as it went on? Again, this is the fanon for some of my fics and I wouldn't be surprised if the next four chapters of the manga prove every single scene here wrong...**_

_**And yes, that is meant to be Kiba's dad... He's an OC so I didn't put much effort into names [although the Kumo thing will have effects in later stories]  
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_**I'm dyslexic, so please point out any mistakes in spelling or grammar [I spell things the way they do in England and Ireland, so some things may look off to Americans]. Please leave your opinion via review or send them via PM, I'd like to know what you think. Well, I think that's everything I've gotta say so, hope you enjoyed the chapter.**_

_**This is Highvalour saying bye and thanks for reading.**_


	29. Soul: Death Of The Flesh!

_**The Infamous Man has a Naruto/Bleach challenge on his profile [Naruto is executed after VoTE and becomes Ulquiorra Schiffer, or anyone from else from Bleach, comes back and ends up with Hinata] which is fairly interesting. I've read some of the work that was written in response and some are brilliant... And some suck in my opinion [but that's just my opinion and I advise all of you to go and read a few to make up your own minds]. This is a similar idea I had in and around the time I started hanging around TIM's forum and reading his ideas/challenges, that said it is not me taking the challenge and so if at any point I don't follow his requirements don't have a go at me over it.**_

_**Another chapter, another attempt to entertain you all. I honestly do not have anything else to add, so on with the show!**_

_**Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto .**_

_**Bleach belongs to **__**Tite Kubo.**_

_**XXXXX**_

XX Deep Beneath Konoha XX

This seal is far my complex than anything I've ever seen..." The seal master explained. "The Fourth's Eight Trigrams Seal is different, cruder than the Four Symbols Seal! If this was the seal of an Uzumaki I would know where to begin to safely undo it so you could take the demon... I don't know if it was haste or just that we gave Namikaze too much credit as a seal master. I'll need days of study to find any safe method of removing it."

"Safe for who?" Danzo asked. "Are you saying the Kyuubi could reform here? I called on you because you are one of the most skilled seal masters in Fire Country!"

"The boy is an Uzumaki, maybe the last but still one of them, and so he could survive if the extraction is done right. He'd be weak, but with treatment he'll survive." The seal master explained. "If I rush, the boy won't last the hour... Now I'll need my tome, I need to study the design."

"The boy is of no consequence, only the Kyuubi. Get it!" Danzo ordered. "Besides, the boy won't last the hour anyway, he has a meeting with the executioner at noon."

"What?" The seal master shouted. "But but... The Fourth!... His..."

"Yes our Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, sacrificed his only son to ensure Konoha retained control of the Kyuubi's power. I know he would agree that his son's death is an acceptable trade to allow Konoha to harness that power." Danzo explained. " Transfer the demon into the new host, do it quick!"

"But, this seal has been touched by the Spirit of Death!" The old seal master tried to explain. "This goes far beyond any normal seal... The demon is bound to his very soul, to rush this could cause immense damage... He might not be able to enter the Pure World!"

"The father sacrificed his son, now the son sacrifices his soul... We should all hope to be as great a shinobi one day." Danzo said before leaving.

"I'm sorry child." The seal master whispered to the sedated Naruto. When the new host arrived, the seal master began to destroy the Eight Trigrams Seal.

XX Basement Of The Hokage's Tower XX

"This is ridiculous!" Koharu Utatane objected. "The boy succeeded in his mission, The Uchiha is back and you plan to execute him?"

"Yes, it makes no sense." Homura Mitokado added. "If anything it should be the Uchiha who is here."

"Sasuke Uchiha is still recovering from his battle against the demon." Danzo said. "That he succeed in preventing the Kyuubi from breaking free has more than earned him a full pardon."

"A full pardon!" Koharu screamed. "Lady Tsunade, you cannot have agreed to this? Any of this!"

"I'm not happy about it, but it has to be done." Tsunade sighed. "But Danzo is right, the Kyuubi almost broke free and we cannot risk it happening again... I'm sorry Naruto."

"Begin the execution!" Danzo ordered.

"This is outrageous, you can't do this." Koharu and Homura both cried out.

XX ? XX

The 'Spirit of Death', a Shinigami, looked up as he sensed an important soul had it's Chain of Fate break.

"Who's died this time?" The ancient being wondered as it faded away, transporting itself to whatever corner of this artificial world he'd find the soul. "feels strong, maybe it's that pain Orochimaru. Would serve him right, consuming souls like some pitiful Hollow."

XX Basement Of The Hokage's Tower XX

"Oh my!" The Shinigami muttered as he appeared and saw the mess before him. Fragments of the soul floated around him, some even left a trail out of the chamber. "What happened here?"

As he began to gather up the fragments in the hope of putting the soul back together, the Shinigami wondered where he knew the soul from. As he picked up each piece he examined it, hoping to spot something that would job his memory. When he came across a piece that was much larger then the others, he paused.

"Wait a minute..." The Shinigami muttered before reaching down his throat and removing the entwined souls of Minato Namikaze and the Kyuubi's Yin chakra. Looking between the two he realised that one was a piece of the other. Ramming the entwined souls back into his stomach, the Shinigami looked around and spotted another large piece. "... Damn."

He'd messed up, the Shinigami had messed up bad. While that Namikaze guy having split off a section of his soul wasn't a big deal, the rest was in his gut and so no one would know, that the Uzumaki girl had done the same was bad. He'd already sent her on to Soul Society, and if the Spirit King found out he'd sent an incomplete soul there he'd lose the cushy job he'd scored when he retired from the Royal Guard. Remembering how both had thrown themselves in front of the child that had been there when they had died, which must be where he recognised the soul from, he thought of a plan to fix the damaged soul before him and cover up his own mistake.

"Don't worry kid, mom and dad are gonna make the pain go away..." The Shinigami muttered before he ripped the fragments of Minato's and Kushina's souls apart and used them to patch up Naruto's soul. Picking up his Tanto, the Shinigami preformed a Soul Burial on Naruto's patchwork soul. "Hehe, now don't tell a soul about those souls okay?"

_**XXXXX**_

_**Fairly short, just the death of the flesh [ie Naruto's body dying] and him being sent to Soul Society. Might do the death of the spirit [ie him ceasing to be the boy from Kishimoto's work and slowly growing into the man from Tite's work] another time.**_

_**Danzo was using Shisui's eye to make Tsunade agree, he also removed the Kyuubi in secret without telling anyone... Has anyone else done a 'Naruto is Executed/Exiled after VoTE' where neither Koharu or Homura agree with Danzo?**_

_**I'm dyslexic, so please point out any mistakes in spelling or grammar [I spell things the way they do in England and Ireland, so some things may look off to Americans]. Please leave your opinion via review or send them via PM, I'd like to know what you think. Well, I think that's everything I've gotta say so, hope you enjoyed the chapter.**_

_**This is Highvalour saying bye and thanks for reading.**_


	30. Ouroboros 4

_**Right, I've been thinking of where I plan to go with this idea [when stuff about Avatar isn't hogging my attention] and I more or less have the story plotted out until the end of the 'Search for Tsunade' arc... I wonder how much crap I'll get for the events of this chapter?**_

_**Another chapter, another attempt to entertain you all. I honestly do not have anything else to add, so on with the show!**_

_**Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.**_

_**XXXXX**_

XX Random Road in Wave Country XX

"Well done Naruto, you nearly killed a rabbit." Sasuke deadpanned. "That said, I guess it could be a killer rabbit?"

"Dammit Naruto, what did I say?" Sakura shrieked. "Stop throwing shuriken, it's dangerous!"

"Where are you?" Sasuke muttered as he scanned the area, pumping chakra into his eyes in the hope of forcefully activating his sharingan. '_No way I can take on Momochi, not without the ability to track his movements... Naruto and Sakura are better then before, but neither have a chance here. Especially if that fake Hunter-Nin gets involved...'_

"Everybody, get down!" Kakashi yelled as a huge cleaver embedded itself in a tree. "Well well... If it isn't Kiri's Missing-Nin Zabuza Momochi!"

_'Shit, got caught thinking.'_ Sasuke berated himself as he dropped into a defensive stance.

"Everybody get back, this one is on a whole other level!" Kakashi ordered as he reached up to uncover his sharingan. "It will be a little tough unless I use this!"

"You appear to be 'Sharingan Kakashi'." Zabuza growled. "Sorry, but the old man is mine!"

"Surround and protect Tazuna! Do not enter the fight, that's the teamwork here!" Kakashi ordered. "Zabuza, first you'll have to fight me!"

"Ah, I already get to see the famous sharingan, I'm honoured." Zabuza chuckled.

"Sharingan? What the hell is that?" Naruto asked Kakashi.

"It's one of the three great dojutsu and a kekkei genkai that only a few in my clan can awaken." Sasuke told him. "It allows the one who possesses it to read the chakra and movements of most ninjutsu, genjutsu or taijutsu. It's also has other abilities..."

"Hehe, that's right. And that isn't even the scary part!" Zabuza chuckled. "What's scary is it can copy an opponent's techniques once it sees them."

With that Zabuza leaped onto the nearby lake and activated his 'Hidden Mist Jutsu'. Once he'd disappeared into the thick mist, Zabuza began his psychological attack. As he listed his eight possible striking points, Sasuke paid close attention for two reasons. Firstly as an Uchiha he had a natural inclination to adapting and utilising anything that he considered useful, and it was a rather effective way of terrifying opponents, and secondly, because Zabuza didn't seem to be throwing his voice and so he could be tracked by it.

"Don't worry, I'll protect you guys even if it kills me." Kakashi told them, hoping to encourage them in the face of Zabuza's killing intent. "I won't let my comrades die."

"We'll see about that!" Zabuza growled behind the genin. Sasuke reacted almost instantly, spinning in place and trying to stab him with a kunai. Zabuza simply caught his arm and twisted, snapping one of the ones.

"Don't touch my students!" Kakashi roared as he stabbed Zabuza with a kunai. From there things followed the pattern Sasuke remembered, both used 'Water Clones' to attack each other before Zabuza caught the real Kakashi off guard and kicked him into the lake, trapping him there in a 'Water Prison Jutsu'.

"Hehe, wearing those headbands and acting like ninja. A real ninja is someone who's survived countless brushes with death!" Zabuza told the genin as he created another Water Clone. "Only when you're good enough to be listed in my Bingo Book can you call yourself ninja... You're not ninja, you're just brats!"

"Take Tazuna and run! As long as he's got me trapped here he can't move!" Kakashi ordered. "The Water Clone can't go very far from his body. Just run away!"

"No." Sasuke said simply.

"Sasuke take the team and run!" Kakashi ordered.

"This team is the best thing to happen to me in years, I won't lose it!" _'Not again!'_ Sasuke declared before charging forward. A volley of kunai as well as a dozen orange blurs intercepted the Water Clone that had been moving to attack. When Sasuke hit the lake he kept moving, lunging forward to try and disembowel Zabuza with another kunai. Zabuza sucked his stomach in to avoid and swing down with his huge cleaver. As the blade zoomed in it's blurry form became clear at the last moment, allowing Sasuke to bring up his kunai to parry. The force of the blow broke Sasuke's stance on the surface of the lake, causing him to sink. Thinking quick, Sasuke kneaded his chakra and preformed his clan's signature jutsu "Great Fireball Jutsu!"

"Shit!" Zabuza cursed as he dove out of the way of the flames.

"Looks like one of those 'brats' forced you to release your jutsu." Kakashi mocked as he pulled Sasuke back above water. With that he began to perfectly predict each of Zabuza's moves, even what he was going to say. The fight was soon over.

"C-Can you see the future?" Zabuza gasped.

"Yeah and I see you dying." Kakashi told him as he prepared to land the finishing blow. But before he could a pair of senbon embedded themselves in Zabuza's neck.

"Hehe, you're right... He's dead." Called out the one who threw the senbon. "Thank you very much, I've been searching for an opportunity to kill Zabuza for a long time."

"You're welcome." Sasuke called out before tossing a kunai into Zabuza's throat. "We still going to get the bounty on him?"

"W-What did you do that for?" The Hunter-Nin asked in cold voice, his body shaking.

"An uncle of mine was killed because of that." Sasuke explained as he made his way over to Zabuza's corpse to recover his kunai. "He thought he'd gotten a kill shot with a senbon but had only hit a nerve. When he removed the senbon the enemy ninja just got up and stabbed him... The lesson being, always double-tap!"

"You... You... I'll kill you!" The Hunter-Nin screamed and lunged at Sasuke, a spike of ice forming in his hand as he did so. Waiting until the last possible moment, Sasuke side stepped the rage fuelled lunge and drove the kunai up through the underside of the Hunter-Nin's jaw. It went up through his mouth and into the brain.

"That's for making me a fucking pin cushion." Sasuke hissed, too low for the others to hear.

"Sasuke! Are... Are you alright?" Kakashi asked, struggling to stay up right from chakra exhaustion.

"Yeah." Sasuke reassured him. "But if anyone asks, we never saw a Hunter-Nin, okay?"

"Good plan." Kakashi told him before collapsing.

"Naruto, make two Shadow Clones to carry Kakashi." Sasuke ordered. "Tazuna, lead the way to your house, we'll be moving quickly. Sakura, you're on point!"

"What about you?" Sakura asked, looking at his clearly broken arm.

"I'll cover the rear once I've secured the corpses." Sasuke told her before removing two blank scrolls and beginning to draw a storage seal on each. "Be ready to move once they are sealed!"

XX Tazuna's House XX

Once the team arrived at Tazuna's home Sasuke ordered Naruto to post a few clones around to keep watch. He then went into the kitchen and returned with a large knife.

"Okay Sakura, I need you to do something very important for me." Sasuke told her as he passed his backpack over. "Find my medical supplies and get a splint ready."

"O-Okay." She said before rooting through his stuff, her eyes flickering to the knife on occasion. "What's the knife for?"

"Just get the splint ready. In a minute I'm going to push the two pieces of bone back into place, I need you to splint and bind it... Okay?" Sasuke asked before biting down on the handle of the knife. When he pushed the bone back into place he let out an agonised scream and tried to clench his teeth. When Sakura finished he spat out the knife. "Fuck, fuck, fuck... Okay guys, we need a medic."

"That looked painful." Tazuna said, pointing out the obvious. He quickly looked away when Sasuke shot him a glare. "Inari, where were you?"

"Welcome back Grandpa." Inari greeted Tazuna.

"Inari, say hello to these people." Tsunami told him.

"These are the ninja who protected grandpa." Tazuna told him.

"Mom... These people are going to die!" Inari said.

"What did you say you little brat?" Naruto snapped, Sakura having to grab a grip of his collar to stop him hitting the boy.

"There's no way you can win against Gato." Inari told them.

"You know what, fuck you kid!" Sasuke told the boy, the pain in his arm mean he wasn't in the mood to listen to some brat whine. "What the hell is your problem anyway?"

"I'm sorry about Inari." Tazuna told them once his grandson had stormed off. "Once he was happy, but those days are long gone. He wasn't the same after what Gato did."

What happened?" Naruto asked. "What did Gato do?"

"Inari had a father, not related by blood but they were very close. Like a real father and son. Inari use to laugh a lot back then... But that all changed with the incident." Tazuna said before explaining who Kaiza was and how he had become such an important part of Inari's life. "The word 'courage' has been stolen from the people of this island. And from Inari... All because of Kaiza and the incident. In front of everyone, Kaiza was put to death by Gato. He cut off Taiza's arms and then killed him in front of the whole village. Inari... Inari saw the man he called father die. He saw his hero cut down."

"Oh cry me a river." Sasuke snarled s he looked through his pack for a sling and some painkillers.

"How can you be so insensitive!" Tsunami snapped, looking at Sasuke in disgust. "He lost the man he saw as a father, his ideal."

"Well when he's lost his entire family, I'll empathise." Sasuke told her. "Some day, when he comes home to find that his ideal has killed every other blood relation just so he can 'test his power' maybe I'll care. Some day when he's forced to witness the murder of every single family member from their killer's point-of-view I think, maybe, I'll give two shits about his pain!"

"Where are you going?" Naruto asked as Sasuke got up and made his way towards the front foor.

"Out to scout the area." Sasuke snarled.

"But your arm..." Sakura pointed out.

"I'll be fine." Sasuke told her as he opened the door. "Besides if I stay here, odds are I'll kill the brat."

XX Random Road in Wave Country XX

Sasuke wondered around the island nation, muttering to himself about the boy. He was angry

and needed to vent his anger. Up ahead of him he saw a pair of thugs wandering around like they owned the place.

"Where's Gato?" Sasuke snapped once they came closer.

"Haha, like we'd tell some brat." One of the thugs laughed. He stopped laughing when Sasuke punched him hard enough to crack his ribs and followed that up with a kick to the face, knocking him out.

His partner drew a knife and tried to slash Sasuke across the face. With little effort Sasuke had ripped the knife from the man's hand and stabbed it into his leg.

"Where is Gato?" Sasuke snarled again, twisting the knife for good measure.

"He's in the old governor's manor." The man whimpered. "It's on the south side of the island."

"If you'd said so from the beginning, none of this would of happened." Sasuke told him before setting off. The thug was going to bleed out in a few minutes from the wound, but Sasuke really didn't care. Looking skyward, Sasuke saw that a storm seemed to be brewing. _'I don't remember a storm, it'll blow over. Or I could...'_

Launching several intense fire jutsu into the air, Sasuke helped the storm take hold. Soon rain poured down and thunder rumbled in the distance. Smirking to himself, Sasuke set off towards the southern side of the island.

XX Governor's Manor XX

Crouched in a nearby tree, Sasuke watched the manor. After 'questioning' another thug he had learned that there was no civilians inside... That was good.

"Now Gato, disappear with the thunderclap." Sasuke laughed as he raised a fist, coated in lightning chakra, to the sky. The thunder died down as a beast seemed to form in the sky. When Sasuke jerked his arm down, the beast dove straight into the centre of the manor. "Kirin!"

_**XXXXX**_

_**I spared Zabuza and Haku in Team Nightmare, so they die here. As for Inari, little shit had it easy compared to what Naruto and Sasuke went through.**_

_**I'm dyslexic, so please point out any mistakes in spelling or grammar [I spell things the way they do in England and Ireland, so some things may look off to Americans]. Please leave your opinion via review or send them via PM, I'd like to know what you think. Well, I think that's everything I've gotta say so, hope you enjoyed the chapter.**_

_**This is Highvalour saying bye and thanks for reading.**_


	31. Early Graduation

_**An idea I thought of a while ago but just didn't get around to writing. Thought I'd throw it up and see what you guys think, be brutal and honest when going to review as I think the idea has potential but don't want to write something no one will read.**_

_**Another chapter, another attempt to entertain you all. I honestly do not have anything else to add, so on with the show!**_

_**Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.**_

_**XXXXX**_

XX Ninth Training Field XX

"Hey! Hey! Did you hear?" Lee yelled as he rushed onto the training field his team tended to favour. "For the first time in five years, there are gonna be rookies in this year's Chunin Exam!"

"No way!" Tenten laughed as she readied another kunai. "It's probably some stubborn Jonin competition or something."

"No, the story is that three of them are the students of that Kakashi guy Guy-sensei keeps talking about..." Lee explained, a smile spreading across his face at the idea of testing his skills against the students of Guy-sensei's rival.

"Hatake?" The third member of the team spoke from his position at the base of a nearby tree. He was wrapping a long and thick chain around his forearm and had an unnerving smile on his face. When the chain was fully wrapped around his arm he secured it with a small lock and flailed his arm about to make sure it would stay in place. "That sounds interesting..."

"But in the end..." Tenten cut him off, throwing the kunai behind her and embedding it in the centre of the target above his head. "... You have to feel a little sorry for them."

"So, are you feeling anxious?" Tenten teased as the three set of back towards Konoha. "I mean you haven't seen any of them in over a year."

"Not anxious, but interested." Sasuke smiled as he remembered his old classmates. "I wanna see if they've actually improved!"

XX Konoha Academy [Day Before Previous Graduation Exam] XX

"Right then, lets get this out of the way." Mizuki sighed before turning to the class. "Right, is everyone paying attention? I've got an announcement to make."

"No wait, Sasuke isn't here!" Shrieked Sakura Hanuro.

"Well that's to bad." Mizuki said, a bit harsher than he meant to. He'd been out the night before and was to tired, and hungover, to be as patient as he usually was. "Where is he anyway?"

"He was sent to the nurse earlier, I think he's really sick." Sakura said, deep concern for 'Her Sasuke' evident in her voice.

"Well than this won't apply to him." Mizuki said before holding up several forms. "As some of you may know, students can apply to take the graduation exam whenever they wish to. The exam is being held tomorrow for the year above you and I have several application forms in case any of you want to try out."

Only Uzumaki raised his hand for one and since the he'd applied last year as well Mizuki didn't need to explain how to fill it in. That meant that Mizuki could let them go early for lunch and go take a nap in the staff room. Iruka would be back by the time lunch ended from handing in the yearly results and he could handle the class just fine.

As Mizuki began to doze off someone knocked on the staff room door. Grumbling to himself Mizuki opened the door to see Sasuke Uchiha standing there, looking about as bad as Mizuki felt. The boy had been fighting off a bad case of the flu for the last week and it had affected his performance.

"What is it Sasuke?" Mizuki asked, trying real hard not to sound to rude to the boy.

"I wanted to get one of those forms." The last loyal Uchiha said, his voice sounding somewhat weaker than it normally did.

"Fine." Mizuki muttered before retrieving a form and handing it over. Normally he'd have argued against letting Sasuke try but he was tired, hungover and not in the mood for an argument. After explaining how to fill it in he sent the boy on his way. Writing a quick note that promised a painful death to anyone who disturbed him, Mizuki lay down and fell asleep. Completely unaware of he had just done something that could alter everyone's plans.

XX Academy Courtyard XX

Sasuke stared at the forehead protector, quite frankly amazed he'd been given one. He'd applied to test himself, never actually thinking he'd be able to pass a full year early but he had. And while he wasn't called Rookie of the Year, that went to the Hyuuga boy who'd soundly beaten him in the taijutsu exam, he had been told he'd scored in the top fifth of all the students tested. They had been told that the teams would be assigned two on monday and that they should prepare themselves over the weekend.

'_Suits me fine_.' Sasuke thought as he made his way home. '_Gives me a chance to rest up and beat this bug.'_

XX Hokage's Tower XX

"So, who will you be teaching Kakashi?" Guy asked as the jonin felt the meeting where they learned which team they where to be assigned to.

"Bunch of punks." Kakashi answered, never looking up from his book. It didn't even look as if he'd bothered to check the scroll with the names of his future genin.

"Ah, there's that hip attitude of yours." Guy laughed as he opened his own scroll. "I see that my request to get Lee was granted, good."

"Why did you want him?" Kakashi asked, skilfully navigating his way through the crowded hallway without taking his eye away from his book.

"Because he reminds me of myself at his age." Guy admitted before reading further. "I also got the young kunoichi Tenten and... Well this is a surprise.!"

"What?" Kakashi asked, actually looking up from his book.

"My third student is young Sasuke Uchiha." Guy laughed.

"... Wait what?" Kakashi asked after a moment. He was sure Sasuke was not expected to graduate until next year, he was so sure that he planned to put in his own request to have both Sasuke and Naruto reserved for his team. Leaning over he looked at the scroll and saw that, yes, Sasuke's name was there. "Huh, guess he passed. Dammit, I was hoping to teach him."

"And teach him well you would of." Guy declared. "But it seems that Sasuke shall learn to fan the flames of his youth under my tutelage."

"Fan the flames?" Kakashi repeated, groaning at the lame joke his friend had just made. "Really Guy, I thought you have some self respect."

"Haha, it seems my youthful humour is wasted on you and that hip attitude of yours Kakashi." Guy laughed before heading off in the direction of the academy. "I'm off to collect my students, bye."

XX Konoha XX

"From today you are genin!" Guy announced in his usual, over the top, manner when his three genin had arrived on the rooftop he'd directed them to. "Now, I'd like to here your goals."

"I want to become a strong ninja." Tenten said, going first. "I want to be like the famous Tsunade."

"Sensei!" Lee yelled, raising his hand so fast he nearly hit Tenten with it. "I want to prove that I can become a great ninja even without being able to use ninjutsu or genjutsu... That is everything to me!"

"I want power..." Sasuke told them. "I want to avenge my clan."

__**XXXXX**__

__**Yeah not much, half of a first chapter really. The idea of Naruto being able to take the graduation exam three times, but Sasuke not do it, does not make sense to me. Only reason I can think of is he was either sick the day[s] in question or wasn't in class when they where told you could... In canon Mizuki sent Sasuke away without a form, in this AU he was too hungover to bother arguing and just gave in.**__

__**The chain mentioned at the beginning is not just for decoration, it's tied into a fighting style I came up with after talking with Chash [he provided the original idea and I've just been thinking of it for a while now]. It'll be explained what he uses it for if I write more.**__

_**I'm dyslexic, so please point out any mistakes in spelling or grammar [I spell things the way they do in England and Ireland, so some things may look off to Americans]. Please leave your opinion via review or send them via PM, I'd like to know what you think. Well, I think that's everything I've gotta say so, hope you enjoyed the chapter.**_

_**This is Highvalour saying bye and thanks for reading.**_


	32. Team Nightmare And The Runaway Devil

_**Okay, back to work... lets see if this comes out all right or if I mess it up. Team Nightmare creeps slowly towards it's ending, I won't be taking it beyond the Invasion of Konoha...This chapter will cover the team's time in the forest and maybe the first fight of the Preliminary Knock-Out matches.**_

_**What happens if you mix Demonic Power and corrupted Natural Energy? Lets find out!**_

_**Another chapter, another attempt to entertain you all. I honestly do not have anything else to add, so on with the show! **_

_**Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.**_

_**Fullmetal Alchemist belongs to Hiromu Arakawa**_

_**Devil May Cry belongs to Capcom**_

_**Venom belongs to Marvel Comics**_

_**XXXXX**_

XX Forty-Fourth Training Ground XX

"He still out?" Naruto asked as he woke up.

"Yes." Was Sakura's simple reply. She'd taken first watch and after the fight with the strange Kusa ninja she was beginning to feel tired. "We're worried. Anything that could injure him like this would kill us outright... What do we do?"

"We'll hold up here until you've rested. If he's still out by then, we head for the fence and quit." Naruto told her. "No point trying to finish without him... I don't see them letting us continue with only two combat ready members, do you?"

"No." Sakura agreed before moving back in beside Sasuke and settling down to sleep. "Wake us in about three hours."

"Got it." Naruto said. Crouching down at the entrance to the hollow they'd hidden in, he scanned the area for any sign of potential threats. As time passed, Naruto began to wonder how the other rookies were getting on. If any of them ran into that Kusa ninja, they're dead.

When it was time to wake Sakura, Naruto stood and stretched. Bending as if to check his laces where tied, Naruto slammed his palm to the ground and created a wall of earth in front of the hollow but before he could harden the earth to provide any real protection it exploded inwards as two blasts of concussive force slammed into it.

"Wake up Sasuke!" One of the Oto ninja ordered. "We want to fight him!"

"Sorry, he's a heavy sleeper." Naruto joked. "Besides he's a real monster if anyone interrupts his beauty sleep... But if it's a beating you want, I'm happy to oblige."

"Whatever." Muttered one of the Oto ninja as he raised his arms. "We'll just kill you and finish him after.!"

"Tag!" Sakura snarled as she web swinged in and kicked the boy square in the chest, most likely cracking a few ribs in the process. "Who's next?"

"Dammit!" Yelled the other boy on the team as he swung his arm, encased in a strange gauntlet, at Sakura. As Sakura dodged she collapsed in agony as the symbiote tried to tear itself away from her. The ultra-sonic frequencies the gauntlet generated set her nervous system, which was directly tied to the suit, on fire. Seeing this, The Oto ninja laughed. "Haha, don't like noise huh?"

"Sakura! Leaver her alone you bastard!" Naruto roared as he charged, bringing his hands together in preparation for an alchemical attack. Just before he was in arms reach the other ninja, who Sakura had struck, blind-sided him with a high powered blast from his hand.

"Hehe, nice work Zaku." The bandaged boy, who seemed to be in charge, said before turning to the girl. "Hey Kin, how about a little music for the freak?"

"Got it Dosu." Kin replied before throwing several senbon around Sakura, who began to howl with rage and pain.

"Zaku, finish it." Dosu ordered as he walked passed the still dazed Naruto and neared the tree hollow.

"All right." Zaku muttered before levelling his arms at Naruto. "See you around run-"

"Enough!" Lee roared as he cut off Zaku with a drop kick to the back of the head. Turning to attack Kin, Lee began to rush forward just before his ears felt like they'd exploded. Looking behind him, Lee saw Dosu standing there, an annoyed look on what was visible of his face.

"Getting involved in this was your one, and looks like final, mistake!" Dosu snapped. He backhanded Lee who passed out from the pain in his ears. "Kin it looks like Blondie is getting up, help him 'relax' a bit will you? I'm gonna make sure Zaku isn't dead."

"I have the medical supplies if you need them." Kin told him as she threw a few senbon beside Naruto and used the tiny bells attached to affect him.

As the two Oto genin focused on their downed teammate, neither noticed the slowly increasing pressure in the area nor the growing taint in the air. None saw the surges of eldritch power run along Rebellion's surface.

XX ? XX

Sasuke stood in an empty, white void. He gritted his teeth against the pulsing pain in his neck and the pressure building in the back of his mind Looking around, Sasuke noticed the only other being in the void. He recognised the pale skin, the black eyes and the strangely spiked hair... It was himself as a child.

"Mom and Dad... Didn't have to die..." The younger Sasuke, really a manifestation of Orochimaru's soul, sobbed. The fragment was worried, Sasuke's body had next to no chakra in it and the seal was being forced to absorb more and more Natural Energy to sustain itself. It needed to get Sasuke to embrace the Curse Seal of Heaven soon. "In the end, if you don't have strength you can't do anything... Because I didn't have strength... The clan was wiped out... Everyone was killed..."

"Might rules all!" Sasuke muttered as the pressure grew. The void began to flicker, changing from it's sterile white to a bloody red and back. Sasuke's eyes began to glow a sickly yellow.

"No... You!" Orochimaru's soul went on, continuing with the mental torture it had planned. It had noticed how the void was changing and was growing very concerned. Was this what happened when a host failed to survive? Was it damned to disappear along with his only chance of claiming the sharingan? "Y-You let them die...All you did was watch... If only you had strength!"

"I have strength... I have power!" Sasuke snarled as he collapsed to the ground, his body beginning to flicker with the void. White and human, red and not. "And it seems that power... That power wants to come out... Come out and play."

"W-What's going on?" The fragment of Orochimaru stuttered as the void became permanently red and the monster rose. "W-What are you?"

"Inside Everyone... There Is A Demon!" The beast growled as it released a wave of power that destroyed the soul fragment and the Seal it was bound to. "A Demon That Should Be Exercised!"

XX Forty-Fourth Training Ground XX

"Some minor Oto ninja bullying these second rate ninja and declaring victory?" Neji spat from his position above the clearing the Oto ninja had just finished beating Team Ten in.

"They just keep coming." Zaku sighed. "They're like cockroaches or something."

"If you don't leave now I'll go all out." Neji snarled as he activated his byakugan. "Huh?... W-what is that?"

"What are you talking about?" Zaku asked before being thrown head over heels as the hollow tree behind him exploded outward in a wave of red demonic energy, hate and bloodlust. "W-what the.."

Before Zaku could even finish his sentence, a red blur shot out of the smoke and tore his head off. When the blur came to a stop it revealed a monster. It's legs, forearms, neck and lower face was covered in thin, black leathery skin while the rest of the body was encased in a thicker, red scaly hide. It's eyes, as well as numerous 'veins' across it's body, glowed a deep yellow. In it's hand it held Rebellion, the blade practically humming with power.

"Huh, well things have either gotten a hundred times better or a million times worse." Naruto joked as he helped Sakura to her feet.

"We don't think he's here to help us." Sakura hissed, the symbiote reforming around her.

"Yeah, think we can take him?" Naruto asked, sounding a bit worried.

"What the fuck is that?" Dosu shouted at them.

"Ha, you aren't going to believe us but that's Sasuke." Naruto told him, shocking the other ninja.

"Sasuke!" Dosu shrieked and backed away. Doing so drawing Sasuke's attention to him. "Is... Is this because of the seal?"

"Seal?" Neji muttered as he stared in horror, his byakugan revealing every detail of the monster to him.

"Maybe... That guy most of done something to affect the demon in him." Naruto mused.

"Demon? Seal?" Neji muttered before a look of complete horror appeared on his face. "Tenten, get ready to run."

"What?" Tenten asked, never taking her eyes of Sasuke.

"We can't fight something like that." Neji muttered, more to himself than to her. "No one here can... What where they thinking? Letting 'it' compete!"

"Ino! Ino, get out of her body!" Shikamaru hissed. "He might not know you're in there and we won't be able to stop him if he attacks."

Right." Ino agreed and released her technique, transferring her mind back into her own body and out of Kin's one.

"Ugh.. What happened? What... What the hell?" Kin groaned and then screamed as she spotted Sasuke's monstrous form. In a panic, she fired several of her kunai and senbon at him. The weapons, finest Oto could supply, bounced off his skin. With a snarl, Sasuke turned and threw Rebellion. The blade arced through the air and cut her in two.

"Screw this." Dosu yelled before turning and fleeing. When Rebellion came back Sasuke lunged forward and impaled the retreating ninja.

"Run now." Neji ordered as he flung several smoke bombs at Sasuke before snatching up the still unconscious Lee. Taking to the tree tops, Neji and Tenten retreated. As the smoke cleared Sasuke let out a roar and took off in chase.

"So... Do we follow and risk dying ourselves or stay here and hope he comes back himself?" Naruto asked, turning to look at Sakura.

"Well... He can look after himself." Sakura said slowly. "But... Can the rest of the competitors?"

"Huh, lets go." Naruto sighed before climbing onto Sakura's back.

"He better not get us disqualified." Sakura muttered before scaling a nearby tree and web swinging into the forest.

XX Inside the Eight Trigrams Seal XX

Deep inside the seal Kurama, the Nine Tailed Demon Fox, directed as much of his chakra towards the seal as he could. He'd been watching the world through the boy's eyes and saw that now was a vital moment. He had to use every ounce of power at his disposal to reinforce that bastard Namikaze's seal.

"Should I Warn Shakaku?" The great demon mused. "Bah, If The Fool Hasn't Noticed It Then The Crazy Tanuki Deserves Whatever Comes His Way."

XX Forty-Fourth Training Ground XX

Following the trail of devastation left by the rampaging Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura came across a clearing with the mangled corpse of a bear and a severely traumatised Kusa kunoichi.

"Hey, did a red and black skinned 'demon thing' come through here?" Naruto asked while Sakura checked the bear corpse.

"ye...ye...ye..." The girl muttered, rocking forward and back while hugging her knees to her chest.

"Right." Naruto sighed before scanning the area. "Was he chasing a Hyuuga, a kunoichi and an unconscious green unitard wearing kid?"

"No." Came her squeaky reply.

"Okay... You using that scroll?" Naruto asked. The girl looked at the scroll beside her, paused for a second and then kicked it to him. "Cheers."

"We have bad news and good news." Sakura sighed as she moved away from the corpse. "Bad news is he seems to in control enough to use his other weapons... Those wounds did not come from his sword or claws."

"Crap, what's the good news?" Naruto asked,

"We lied, there is none." Sakura admitted.

"Wonderful." Naruto muttered. "On the bright side, I got a scroll so once we find him we can finish."

XX Forty-Fourth Training Ground [Back With Team Ten] XX

"That wasn't Sasuke! That wasn't Sasuke! That wasn't Sasuke!" Ino repeated as she stared off after her crush.

"Naruto said it was." Shikamaru told her. He was sitting on a large chunk of the tree Sasuke had destroyed and trying to make sense of what he'd seen.

"It can't be Sasuke! He isn't a monster!" Ino snapped.

"Hey guys, I found a scroll." Choji called out from his position near Dosu's corpse. "Lets get going before we find any other monsters."

"He isn't a monster!" Ino shrieked.

XX Forty-Fourth Training Ground [Back With Team Seven] XX

"Hey guys." Sasuke waved when Naruto and Sakura finally caught up with him. "How did I get here?"

"What do you remember?" Naruto asked, looking around at the piles of animal corpses and damaged trees.

"I got bitten. I had a really weird dream where I met my younger, less cool self and then I woke up here." Sasuke told them as he pulled Rebellion out of the skull of a giant bear. "What'd I miss?"

"We'll tell you on the way." Sakura told him. "You still have the scroll?"

"Eh..." Sasuke siad as he patted down his pockets before holding up the scroll. "... Got it."

"Great, lets go." Sakura smiled before the three set off towards the tower.

XX Forty-Fourth Training Ground [With Team Guy] XX

"What. The hell. Was that!" Tenten demanded to know once she and Neji where convinced they'd lost Sasuke.

"It couldn't be, no there's no way it was." Neji muttered as he scanned the entire area with his byakugan. "They wouldn't let one compete or even exist. No way."

"Isn't what?" Tenten snapped, quickly losing her patience. "What the fuck did the Uchiha become?"

"Rumours. I heard rumours when I was a kid... Never realised what they meant until now." Neji told her. "Hushed conversations about seals and demons... About sharingan and monsters... He was a master of seals!"

"Who was? What are you talking about?" Tenten asked, resisting the urge to hit him.

"Thirteen years ago, a demon attacked. Thirteen years ago a sealing master preformed an unknown jutsu to beat it." Neji said, horror in his voice. "It didn't die, they cursed a child to hold it... They made a jinchuuriki!"

_**XXXXX**_

_**Has anyone written a fic where people mistakenly come to the conclusion that someone other than Naruto is the Kyuubi's jinchuuriki? If so, was it any good?**_

_**Anyway, overload of Natural Energy leads to berserker mode, as Juugo shows. Add to that the power of DT and shit most definitely hits the fan. Decided that since I was gonna have the Oto genin die that I'd give them something of a moment of glory by getting lucky and beating Naruto and Sakura... Naruto and Sakura will in turn get their own moments of glory during the Suna/Oto invasion.**_

_**I'm dyslexic, so please point out any mistakes in spelling or grammar [I spell things the way they do in England and Ireland, so some things may look off to Americans]. Please leave your opinion via review or send them via PM, I'd like to know what you think. Well, I think that's everything I've gotta say so, hope you enjoyed the chapter.**_

_**This is Highvalour saying bye and thanks for reading.**_


	33. Deal With A Devil

_**I know at the end of Chapter Four of Basilisk I said I was gonna do a scene based on Sasuke's first kills but I thought about the scene a bit and realised, with just a slight change to it, I could use it in Basilisk without changing the plot at all. Sasuke would still end up how I planned him, hell it'd even explain a bit about why he ended up that way, and so it'll make up a large part of the next chapter of Basilisk.**_

_**But since I said a chapter would be coming, I had to rack my brains to find something to give you guys and I decided to give this a try. FYI, I'm mostly drawing on FB for inspiration but will include some stuff from 40K since it's got a more developed background and array of characters [Daemons] to draw on.**_

_**Another chapter, another attempt to entertain you all. I honestly do not have anything else to add, so on with the show! **_

_**Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.**_

_**Warhammer Fantasy Battle belongs to Games Workshop.**_

_**XXXXX**_

XX ? XX

Sasuke stood in an empty, white void. He gritted his teeth against the pulsing pain in his neck and looking around, Sasuke noticed the only other being in the void. He recognised the pale skin, the black eyes and the strangely spiked hair... It was himself as a child.

"Mom and Dad... Didn't have to die..." The younger Sasuke, really a manifestation of Orochimaru's soul, sobbed. It had everything planned out, every phrase, every action and every cruel comment was carefully picked to fuel Sasuke's anger and desire for power. It was these two factors that he felt would be vital in allowing Sasuke to survive the Seal taking root. "In the end, if you don't have strength you can't do anything... Because I didn't have strength... The clan was wiped out... Everyone was killed..."

'_What's going on?' _Sasuke wondered. How was he face to face with his past self? The last thing he remembered was being bitten by that Kusa ninja and an intense pain before blacking out.

"No... You!" Orochimaru's soul went on, continuing with the mental torture it had planned. As it spoke it reached up and tore away some of the skin around the left eye of Young!Sasuke, revealing its own beneath. "Y-You let them die...All you did was watch... If only you had strength!"

"Are You Going To Listen To This Viper?" A great voice boomed as the sterile void warped and twisted. Sasuke and Orochimaru's soul found themselves standing on a vast plateau, surrounded by league upon league of cracked land, littered with ravaged bones and shattered armour. In the distance came the sound of inhuman roars and the clashing of steel, originating from an immense fortress in the distance.

"Who said that?" Orochimaru's shade demanded to know. It was so close, it could actually feel the Seal beginning to empower Sasuke and whatever was happening could be a risk.

"Me!" Bellowed a great beast as it dropped from the sky and landed behind Sasuke, the shockwave knocking the boy off his feet. The beast was the stuff of nightmares what with having a human body, cloven hooves instead of feet, leathery bat-like wings and a horned dog-head. It was clad in thick brass armour that protected its chest and heavy guards shielded its forearms. It its right arm it carried a massive double-headed axe and in its right was a great barbed whip. With a mighty roar it banished the fragment of Orochimaru. "I Am Ka'Bandha, I Am War Given Form! And I Have Come For You, Sasuke Uchiha."

"W-What are you?" Sasuke stammered as he got to his feet and backed away.

"I Told You." Ka'Bandha snarled as it stepped forward and crouched down to better face the last loyal Uchiha. "I Am Ka'Bandha, Greatest Of Kharneth's Daemons. And I Have Been Sent To Offer You A Bargain."

"Kha-rneth?" Sasuke asked, not recognising the word.

"If The Black Tongue Is Too Difficult For You, Try Khorne." Ka'Bandha growled. "And Unlike The Viper, He Does Not Offer Slavery And Damnation But Power And Elevation."

"What do you mean?" Sasuke demanded to know. "What is your master and what does he want?"

"My Master Is The God Of Bloodshed And Battle, Pride And Power, War And Honour." Ka'Bandha explained. "And What He Wants Is A Herald. A Champion Who Will Lead His Armies Against All Others. Myself And The Others Have Been Tasked With Seeking Out Possible Champions For Kharneth To Test And Choose From. I Chose You Because Never Before Have I Seen Hatred That Shined As Bright In The Warp Or Heard A Cry For Vengeance As Loud As Your Soul Screams. I Shall Make You A Champion, The Others Shall Test You To Become A Lord And If You Prove Great Enough Kharneth May Make You A Prince."

"W-What would you have me do?" Sasuke asked, more interested in avoiding the beast's ire then actually considering its offer. "If I agreed?"

"You Would Tend Kharneth's Temples. Collect Tribute In His Name And Preform Sacrifices In His Honour!" Ka'Bandha told him.

"You want me to be a priest?" Sasuke laughed nervously, the idea was insane. A demon wanting him as a priest.

"You Misunderstand!" Ka'Bandha snarled. "Kharneth Has No Priests, Only Warriors. The Wars Of The World Are His Temples, His Alters Are The Battlefields! The Tribute Is The Blood Spilled And The Sacrifice Every Life Cut Short. You Will Fight And Bring Glory To Him, For That You Shall Be Rewarded."

"Reward? What kinds of rewards?" This time Sasuke was interested. It sounded like this beast could grant him the power needed to defeat 'That Man' and restore the honour of his clan's name.

"Flesh Like Stone, Bone Like Steel And Blood Like Molten Lead." Ka'Bandha Told Him. "If You Please Kharneth You Will Be Made A Warrior Without Equal. You Will Be An Army Onto Yourself, But Only If You Please Him. Fail And Your Weakness Will Be Punished. Skin Like Paper, Bone Like Glass And All Your Strength Striped From Your Body."

"Strength brings strength? And weakness breeds weakness?" Sasuke summed up.

"Yes!" Ka'Bandha laughed. "You understand. Battle Well And With Honour For Your Rewards. Prove You are Worthy And Claim Your Reward! So Tell Me, For Kharneth Will You Spill Blood For The Blood God? For Chaos, Will You Claim Skulls For The Skull Throne?"

XX Forty-Fourth Training Ground XX

"Some minor Oto ninja bullying these second rate ninja and declaring victory?" Neji spat from his position above the clearing the Oto ninja had just finished beating Team Ten in.

"They just keep coming." Zaku sighed. "They're like cockroaches or something."

"You made a mistake. That knocked out kid is from our team and you're gonna pay for that!" Neji told the Oto genin before activating his byakugan. "If you don't give up I'll go all out."

"Hehe, if you don't like it then come down and do something about it." Dosu mocked before a wave of bloodlust and killing intent washed over the clearing. Turning to the source, Dosu watched in horror as Sasuke Uchiha walked out from the tree hollow he'd been hidden in. The boy was surrounded by a bloody aura and radiated power.

"Sakura… Who did this to you?" Sasuke muttered as he flexed his fingers. He could feel the daemon's power pumping through him. His muscles swelled and his blood pounded in his ears.

"S-Sasuke?" Sakura asked, afraid of this twisted power coming from him.

"Who did it?" Sasuke snarled.

"S-Sasuke... W-What happened to you?" Sakura stammered.

"I took it." Sasuke told her, ignoring the growing desire to attack everyone. "It offered power and I took it. The daemon's strength is mine and I'll use it. Use it and walk the road of an avenger... Now, was it them that hurt you?"

"Ino this is bad! Get back in your body before you get caught up in this!" Shikamaru called out as he picked up her limp form and ran. "You too Choji, we gotta hide."

"Yeah we did." Zaku called out, laughing as he watched Team Ten flee. "What are you gonna do about it?"

"You must be strong, picking on weak and tired shinobi." Sasuke laughed, his voice cold and cruel. "Do you think you're warriors? Champions? Heroes?"

"Heroes? Nah, we're the villains." Zaku joked before raising his arms and preparing to fire off two blasts of air pressure.

"Zaku... Something's wrong." Dosu warned.

"Relax Dosu, no need to fear this half dead freak." Zaku laughed before firing off his most powerful blast of air pressure. "See, I blew him away."

"Hehe, you're strong." A voice called out from the dust and debris his jutsu had created. As it settled Sasuke, who was carrying Sakura and Naruto, came into view.

"H-he dodged!" Zaku pointed out in shock.

"It is my turn yet?" Sasuke laughed before charging forward. Before Zaku could react Sasuke drove his fist into Zaku's face. That was followed up with a dozen more vicious blows to the face and neck. As Zaku collapsed Sasuke lashed out and kicked him across the clearing and straight into the still injured Kin. "Who's next?"

"This isn't right." Dosu muttered as he backed away. "The girl mentioned a mark... Could Lord Orochimaru have given him a Curse Seal...? Something new, something different?"

"I guess it's just you left." Sasuke laughed as he turned to face Dosu. His heart pounded, his muscles screamed for more and all else was drowned out by a voice calling for battle and bloodshed. As he began to walk towards the sole remaining, battle ready Oto ninja something latched onto his arm. Turning, Sasuke saw that Sakura had latched onto his arm and appeared to be pleading with him.

"Stop... Please stop." Sakura sobbed.

"Go." Sasuke sighed after a moment, the bloody aura fading. With it went the rush of power, and most of the almost overwhelming desire to kill.

"You're strong Sasuke and I know we can't beat you at this time... So take this scroll and let us leave." Dosu said, setting his teams scroll down and moving to collect his teammates. "But I promise you, if we meet again in this exam that we will not run."

"Wait, what did Orochimaru do?" Sakura called out. "Why is he after Sasuke?"

"I don't know, we were just told to kill him." Dosu admitted before leaving.

XX Central Tower XX

"Why do we have to risk our lives in battle?" Kiba blurted out once the Hokage finished explaining the true purpose of the Chunin Exams.

"The strength of the country is the strength of the Village. The strength of the village is the strength of the shinobi" The Hokage said gravely. "And a shinobi's true strength is born only through life-risking battles."

"This is war." Sasuke muttered to himself as the Hokage continued to speak. While Sasuke knew what was being said must have been important, he was finding it hard to pay attention as the voice calling for battle had returned. It continued on and on, trying to convince him to attack the Gaara from Suna.

"Sasuke, you should quit." Sakura hissed, snapping Sasuke out of the daze he'd entered. "Ever since you got that mark, you've been in pain. Please, give up."

"No... I can't... Not now." Sasuke told her before clutching at the Mark on his neck. He felt the anger rising, the rage and lust for battle trying to break free and had to forcefully suppress it. "I... I need to see how far I can go."

"I-I'm going to tell Kakashi-sensei about the Seal." Sakura said before raising her hand.

"No." Sasuke hissed, reaching out and grabbing her wrist. "Fine... I'll have Kakashi look at it... After the Prelims."

Letting go of her wrist, Sasuke turned his attention to a large screen just in time to see his name and the name Yoroi Akado.

"The first fight shall be between Sasuke Uchiha and Yoroi Akado." Announced Hayate Gekko, who had shown up while Sasuke was distracted by the voices in his head. "Are both of you ready to fight?"

"Yes." Yoroi said.

"Yeah." Was Sasuke's reply.

"Fine, well everyone else make their way to the balconies above?" Hayate asked.

"Sasuke." Kakashi spoke up as he passed so he could stand by his genin. "Don't use the sharingan. That Seal feeds on chakra usage and if it activates... You may die."

"I have it... under control." Sasuke told him.

"If it activates I'll end the match, got it?" Kakashi said before moving on.

"Ready? Begin!" Hayate declared.

Yoroi began by launching a volley of shuriken at Sasuke. Sasuke deflected them with a kunai but was forced to dive to the side when Yoroi lunged forward and tried to grab him. Adjusting his stance, Yoroi throw a quick jab at Sasuke's face that was easily caught.

"Got you." Yoroi laughed before his free hand shot out and caught Sasuke's neck in a vice grip.

"Wha...? My chakra." Sasuke gasped as he felt his energy drain away before kicking Yoroi in the stomach and freeing himself.

"Already noticed?" Yoroi mocked. "Too bad, all I have to do is touch you and it's all over."

With that Yoroi engaged again and despite Sasuke's best effort to avoid being caught, he managed to continue to drain some bits of Sasuke's energy.

'_Dammit, between him and the Mark I can't focus. I gotta keep my distance, catch my breath.' _Sasuke thought as he gabbed at the Mark which had begun to pulse and throb. Shaking himself, Sasuke tried to ignore the whispering voices in his mind.

"Dammit Sasuke!" Naruto cried out. "Is this really the best you can do?"

"Shut up Naruto." Sasuke snapped, taking his eyes of Yoroi to glare at his blond teammate. Standing beside his team was that Lee kid from before the exams. _'Wait! That could work.'_

"It ends now." Sasuke declared before forcing down the growing rage and charging. _'I don't need the Mark to beat the likes of him.'_

"Silly boy." Yoroi laughed before rushing forward and reaching out to grab Sasuke. At the last second Sasuke ducked under his guard and lashed out with a rising kick, knocking Yoroi into the air. Grabbing Yoroi by the ankles, Sasuke pulled him down and slammed the older genin into the arena floor with enough force to actually bounce him back up into the air.

"I win!" Sasuke snarled before punching Yoroi in the face and sending him straight back down.

"I can see from here." Hayate called out as he made his way over. "Yoroi Akado cannot continue and so Sasuke Uchiha wins."

"Well done Sasuke." Kakashi congratulated.

"Sasuke Uchiha. If you'll come with us we'll treat your injuries." One of the medical ninja said as they carried away the unconscious Yoroi.

"It's fine, I got this." Kakashi told them before he began to lead Sasuke away. "Now, let's go and deal with that Seal.

"Can it wait?" Sasuke asked. "I wanna see the other prelims."

"No, it can't." Kakashi told him as they left the arena. "If we wait much longer it may be too late and I won't let you continue to put others at risk in case the seal reactivates and you can't control it this time… It nearly happened in the fight, didn't it?"

"Yeah." Sasuke admitted after a moment's silence. "But it didn't."

XX Chamber In Central Tower XX

"Alright." Kakashi said as he finished applying the markings for the sealing method he planned to use. The markings all converged around the Curse Seal Orochimaru had given Sasuke, although Kakashi couldn't help but notice how different it was to Anko's seal. Although since her one was an old prototype it was possible the difference was due to that. "Right, here we go… Evil Sealing Method!"

Sasuke bit back on the scream of pain that welled up within him as Kakashi's seal tried to bind and supress the Mark. As the suppression seal formed the Mark sent waves of power and rage through Sasuke in an effort to prevent the sealing. When the seal completely formed Sasuke collapsed onto his back.

"There, next time the Curse Seal tries to activate the new seal will contain its power." Kakashi told him. "But Sasuke, it relies on your willpower to power it. If your will falters, if you doubt yourself or think you need the Curse seal then it will fail… Do you understand?"

"Yeah." Sasuke sighed before passing out.

XX ? XX

Deep within the Realms of Chaos, the daemons watched. Each had a purpose, search for potential champions and seek them out. Mortals with weak souls or powerful emotions that would fall sway to the offer of Chaos. Sasuke Uchiha was only the first, soon many would know the power of Chaos.

XXXXX

_**Just something I had floating around in my head. So, was it any good? And to any Warhammer fans, spot what's wrong… There are reasons for the differences.**_

_**I'm dyslexic, so please point out any mistakes in spelling or grammar [I spell things the way they do in England and Ireland, so some things may look off to Americans]. Please leave your opinion via review or send them via PM, I'd like to know what you think. Well, I think that's everything I've gotta say so, hope you enjoyed the chapter.**_

_**This is Highvalour saying bye and thanks for reading.**_


	34. Team Nightmare And the Little Red Lie

_**Alright, let's see if I can do the following scenes justice… Doubt it but you never know. I'm only gonna write the fights involving Team Nightmare, don't want to get dogged down trying to come up with nine separate fights when only three of them include main characters. I'm just gonna say who fought and which one won, you guys can come up with your own fights to fill in the blanks.**_

_**Another chapter, another attempt to entertain you all. I honestly do not have anything else to add, so on with the show! **_

_**Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.**_

_**Fullmetal Alchemist belongs to Hiromu Arakawa**_

_**Devil May Cry belongs to Capcom**_

_**Venom belongs to Marvel Comics**_

_**XXXXX**_

XX Central Tower XX

"Why do we have to risk our lives in battle?" Kiba blurted out once the Hokage finished explaining the true purpose of the Chunin Exams.

"The strength of the country is the strength of the Village. The strength of the village is the strength of the shinobi" The Hokage said gravely. "And a shinobi's true strength is born only through life-risking battles."

"This is gonna be fun." Sasuke whispered as he scanned the crowd for Gaara, the boy had seemed pretty tough when they'd met before the exam.

"That Hyuuga guy's been staring at you funny since we showed up." Naruto noted, paying as little attention to the Hokage's speech as Sasuke. "I think you've got an admirer."

"Not my type…" Sasuke clarified quickly before turning to look at Neji for a moment. "… And are you sure the Hyuuga's a guy?"

"We heard him speaking before you slaughtered those Oto ninja." Sakura chipped in. "He couldn't take his eyes off your 'other self'."

"Huh, well as long as he doesn't start stalking like some Hyuuga we know." Sasuke joked.

"What? One of the Hyuuga is stalking you?" Naruto blurted out, a little louder than he should have.

"A-hem. Can I continue?" Asked Hayate Gekko, who had shown up while they hadn't been paying attention.

"Hehe, sure. Sorry about that." Naruto laughed before turning to Sasuke and lowering his voice to a whisper. "You're getting stalked?"

"Even when he's a genius he can't see it, can he?" Sasuke muttered, sharing a dumbfounded look with Sakura.

"See what?" Naruto asked, looking between the two.

"You really are clueless." Sakura laughed softly, her eyes flickering over to where Team Eight stood.

"As there are eighteen of you, we will not be allowing anyone to back out." Hayate said, raising his voice slightly to get the trio's attention. "Now, if you'll all turn your attention towards the large screen over there we'll randomly decide who will fight in the first round."

Deciding to continue their conversation later, the trio turned to the screen and watched as the names of all those who'd passed sped past before two stopped.

_Choji Akimichi_

_VS_

_Yoroi Akado_

"Will everyone else make their way to the balconies above?" Hayate asked.

"So, who do you think will win?" Naruto asked as they made their way up to the balconies.

"Well Choji isn't really a fighter, hasn't got the killer instinct in him." Sasuke noted. "That said, Akado's that Kabuto guy's teammate so I can't see him being any good."

"True." Sakura laughed. "Kabuto does seem kinda weak."

"He's crafty." Naruto pointed out. "He knew stuff about Suna a Konoha ninja shouldn't know… He's hiding something."

"If you say so." Sasuke yawned before setting Rebellion against the wall and sitting down. "Wake me when one of us has to fight."

"You don't want to check out the competition." Sakura asked as Choji and Yoroi squared off.

"Not really." Sasuke shrugged before closing his eyes. "Actually, wake me if that Gaara guy fights."

XX Forty-Fourth Training Ground XX

Orochimaru, huddled deep in the hollow of a dead tree, examined all the information Kabuto had on Sasuke and his teammates. He wouldn't be caught off guard again. He'd find out what jutsu that girl had used to increase her speed and her strength. Another worrying thing was the junchurriki's growing reputation.

'_That boy defeated an entire army of ronan samurai.' _Orochimaru seethed._ 'If Sasuke isn't at least twice as strong as that bastard's bastard son I'll… I'll… Dammit, I'll do something.'_

As he read and re-read the reports Orochimaru felt his anger growing. Nowhere in Kabuto's data was there any reference to unique jutsu or specialised training. No mention of a monstrous black form baring what looked like the symbol of the Tsuchigumo clan.

"I mean it Kabuto…" Orochimaru swore to the heavens above him. "… If you don't deliver a detailed report the next time you contact me, I will make you sorry."

XX Central Tower XX

Sasuke was awoken from his rather enjoyable dream by a sharp kick to the ribs. Getting up and making his way over to the railing, where Naruto was sniggering and Sakura was watching as Kankuro was carted off on a stretcher by a pair of Medi-ninja.

"So, pyjama boy lost?" Sasuke asked, wondering how many matches he'd slept through.

"Yeah." Naruto confirmed. "It was a really good fight, pretty close and showcased some serious talent from both fighters."

"He deserved to lose." Sakura pointed out. "It left a hole in his defence as bait for a trap but screwed up and tried to spring the trap far too late… Hinata got in five solid blows to his chest before he managed to blindside her with his puppet."

"Blindsided a Hyuuga… That's impressive." Sasuke laughed. "Wait a minute, Hinata Hyuuga won a fight?"

"Yeah, she did really well." Naruto told him. "Took her a minute or two to really get going, me and Kiba had to yell at her to kick his ass before actually began to fight back."

"Good for her." Sasuke laughed before looking between his teammates. "So, why'd you wake me?"

"For the last time, will Sasuke Uchiha and Rock Lee make their way down to the arena?" Hayate called up. "If you do not, you will forfeit."

Looking to his right, Sasuke saw Lee being blocked by his two teammates. They seemed to be arguing and the Hyuuga kept turning to throw him uneasy looks. Shrugging, Sasuke grabbed Rebellion and vaulted over the railing. Landing in a slight crouch, Sasuke strolled over to Hayate and turned to wait for Lee. After a minute Lee seemed to grow tired of whatever he was arguing about and stormed past his teammates and down to the arena.

"Trouble in paradise?" Sasuke joked as he embedded Rebellion's tip into the arena floor and then leaning on the massive blade.

"It seems those shinobi from Oto where more skilled than I thought." Lee laughed. "They performed a genjutsu that Tenten and Neji still think is real."

"What do they think?" Sasuke asked, sniggering and looking up at them.

"Well, Neji is convinced a jinchuuriki used the power of the dreaded Kyuubi to kill the Oto ninja." Lee told him, trying not to laugh at his teammates as it would be unyouthful. Trying as he was not to laugh, Lee failed to notice the subtle wave of panic that ran through anyone from Konoha over the age of twenty. "He swears you became a 'nightmarish black and blood-red monster'.

"Really?" Sasuke asked, his whole demeanour changing. On the outside he seemed serious, even worried, while inside he was cracking up. _'This could be fun.'_

"Yes. I know it is unyouthful to laugh of other's foolishness, but it is very funny." Lee laughed before noticing Sasuke's mood. "… Isn't it?"

"Yeah… Foolish… Funny." Sasuke said, looking very uneasy and throwing glances to Kakashi for guidance. "ha ha ha."

"But it's wrong, right?" Lee asked, starting to get nervous as well. "Sasuke?"

"I'm afraid I cannot comment of the existence, or non-existence, of a jinchuuriki. Nor may I talk about the events of October Tenth for fear of committing treason." Sasuke answered in the kind of slow and mechanical tone that comes from reciting something you've been forced to memorise. "If you wish to learn that 'they say' happened, read a history book. If you want to learn what really happened, ask anyone with the authority to divulge S-Rank secrets."

"Is-Is he implying what I think he's implying?" Naruto hissed to Sakura up in the stands.

"We think he is." She replied dumbfounded. "He's actually implying he is the Kyuubi junchuuriki."

"So... They were telling the truth?" Lee asked in surprise, actually feeling excited at the idea of testing himself against someone strong enough to hold away the fearsome Kyuubi. "But wait, they said the Fourth Hokage killed the Kyuubi! How can you be a jinchuuriki?"

"Firstly, I never said I was... Just that I can't confirm or deny it." Sasuke pointed out. "And secondly, the Biju are just big balls of chakra shaped like animals... How do you kill chakra?"

"Are you going to fight?" Hayate asked, trying to turn the conversation away from S-Rank secrets and secretly still existing demons. "Because it you delay any longer, I'll disqualify you both."

"NO!" Kakashi screamed from the balcony above. "They'll fight, don't worry. Lee, start fighting now and I'll provide you with every bit of information I have on foreign taijutsu styles and Sasuke eh... I'll foot your alcohol bill for a week."

"Deal!" Both boys declared before attacking each other.

"Good work Kakashi, well done getting them to begin this most interesting match." Guy congratulated, making his way over to his rival. "But... Should you really be allowing a child to drink? Alcohol could be hazardous to his youthful body."

Guy, that kid's drinking habits make Kurenai look like a teetotaller." Kakashi argued, causing a shocked Asuma to choke on his cigarette. "By agreeing to pay, I can at least control what he drinks."

"I see." Guy said before turning back to watch the, rather destructive, fight.

"You're fast." Sasuke noted as Lee dodged an overhead swing of Rebellion and retaliated with half a dozen swift punches to the face. The two broke apart before rushing forward and clashing again. Sasuke's massive sword proved less than effective in close quarters and against such an agile foe while Lee's quick and bone shattering blows did little to tax Sasuke's regenerative powers. As the two broke apart again Sasuke sheathed Rebellion. "This isn't working."

"Are you giving up?" Lee asked, disappointed that he wouldn't get a chance to showcase his full power.

"Nah, just don't think fighting you like this is much fun." Sasuke laughed before causing Rebellion to vanish. In its place, a pair of armoured gauntlets and greaves formed. They were forged decorated with strange runes that seemed to glow a deep purplish-red and adorned with short spikes. "Come on out, Gilgamesh!"

"What on earth?" Lee breathed as he took in Sasuke's new armaments. The gauntlets appeared to have short, vicious looking drills located along the upper part of the forearms while the ankles of the greaves sported wicked looking saws. "Those must weigh you down."

"A bit, but not as much as whatever you've got around your legs." Sasuke admitted before a mask formed to cover the lower half of his face and he shot forward to fight Lee again.

Above the arena, the Hokage had called Kakashi over to speak with him.

"These weapons Sasuke is using and this unnatural healing... Where did they come from?" Sarutobi asked in a hushed tone.

"Maybe it's magic?" Kakashi muttered, mocking the Hokage's earlier disbelief about his claims on Sasuke's ability.

"Kakashi this is serious." Sarutobi snapped. "He's using unknown abilities and equipment, where did they come from?"

"You know..." Kakashi began, looking and sounding incredibly smug. "... I've been asking those same questions. In every report. Since you gave me this team. Maybe if you'd believed me, and not sent me for a psych evaluation, we could have found out before now."

Any reply from the Hokage was cut short be a deafening boom as Lee removed his weights. Whipping around, the pair could only stare in shock at the dust and debris kicked up by the weights. In the shocked silence that followed, Kakashi heard something that clued him in on just how bad this fight was about to get.

"Swordmaster!"

_**XXXXX**_

_**And I'll stop there. Next chapter will see the conclusion of this fight as well as Naruto's fight [might even get the beginning of Sakura's fight in as well].**_

_**Choji and Hinata are both through so far, with seven other places available. With the exception of one fight, no one will face against their canon opponent.**_

_**Something I realised as I reread these chapters is that, apart from a few short jokes and using 'we' not 'I', I haven't really done much to show the personalities. Gonna try and fix that in the next few chapters, started a bit here what with making Sasuke a bit of a showman.**_

_**I'm dyslexic, so please point out any mistakes in spelling or grammar [I spell things the way they do in England and Ireland, so some things may look off to Americans]. Please leave your opinion via review or send them via PM, I'd like to know what you think. Well, I think that's everything I've gotta say so, hope you enjoyed the chapter.**_

_**This is Highvalour saying bye and thanks for reading.**_


	35. Team Nightmare Two Down, Worst To Come

_**This makes thirty five chapters I've written based on random ideas and scenes set in the Naruto world. And after 'Mischief Managed', this collection is by far my most views [more than twice the views of Hunter's Moon, which I started about a year before WNTK]. And that is great, so great in fact that I've been thinking of starting another collection for all my non-Naruto ideas. Same as here, ideas I don't see myself writing full fics for or that I want to do but don't thing warrant a separate fic [like 'Repercussions' for example]. Anyone who frequents TIM's forum might be familiar with some of my non-Naruto ideas, Dragon Age/Skyrim crossover or Halo/Mass Effect fusion fics for example. There are others drawing on such diverse fandoms such as Warhammer [FB and 40K], Harry Potter, Fallout, Legacy of Kain, Lord of The Rings, Devil May Cry, Rosario Vampire, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Dragonball Z and different Mythologies. **_

_**So before I get started on another chapter of 'Team Nightmare', I wanna check if you guys would be interested. On the one hand, it means more little stories and ideas but on the other hand, more active fics mean I won't be updating each story as often… So, Yay or Nay?**_

_**Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto**_

_**Fullmetal Alchemist belongs to Hiromu Arakawa**_

_**Devil May Cry belongs to Capcom**_

_**Venom belongs to Marvel Comics**_

_**XXXXX**_

XX Central Tower XX

"Huh, that's some heavy duty training you do." Sasuke joked, shaking his head to dislodge dust and debris from his hair. Smirking as we worked out how much the weight must have slowed Lee down. "Well, I guess the warm up is over… Swordmaster!"

As red energy flickered across Sasuke's body, several of the genin froze in fear of his supposed power. Lee just made a note of the subtle changes in Sasuke's stance before vanishing in a blur. Reappearing, Lee delivered a jaw shattering blow to Sasuke and backed away before the Loyal Uchiha could retaliate. Using these hit-and-run tactics, Lee was able to strike and avoid Sasuke for some time before Sasuke decided to reveal one of Gilgamesh's unique features. Directing some demonic energy through the drills on Gilgamesh's gauntlets and expelling them from the back, Sasuke converted the drill attachment into a miniature rocket that propelled his fist straight into a startled Lee's chest.

"Gaah." Lee gasped as he was knocked back across the arena. Groaning and struggling to his feet, Lee gently prodded his chest to check how many ribs fractured. Fixing Sasuke with a determined glare, Lee began to unwrap the bandages that covered his forearms. "Sorry Sasuke, but I must end this fight now."

"No don't quit." Sasuke whined. "It's just getting fun."

"You cracked four of my ribs and shattered two more." Lee explained as he prepared to rush forward one more time. "It's hard to breath and hurts a lot… If I don't finish you now, I'll lose for sure."

"I understand… Then come and see, can a man beat a monster." Sasuke laughed as he began to charge power into the drill on his left arm. The energy whistling and crackling as he cocked his arm. "Come and see if a genius can beat the devil itself."

The two charged. As the two drew near Sasuke jabbed high and as such, actually made it easier for Lee to get in under his defences and launch him into the air. Following with Shadow of the Dancing Leaf, Lee appeared behind Sasuke. With his bandages, He restrained Sasuke and sent them both into a downward spiral. Before the struck the arena floor Lee kicked away, leaving Sasuke to be pile-driven into the ground.

"I-I did it." Lee groaned as he stood, ignoring the agony in his muscles from using the Primary Lotus.

"Not bad Lee, not bad." Naruto called from the balcony, having started to clap slowly. "If you'd been fighting anyone else in this room, you'd have won."

"If…?" Lee muttered before the sound of crackling came from behind him. Turning, Lee took Sasuke's rising uppercut to the face. As his fist connected with Lee's face, Sasuke released the energy and propelled himself upwards in a spiral of demonic power. Lee landed with a thud almost halfway across the arena while Sasuke landed in his starting position.

"Good fight Lee… Good fight." Sasuke gasped as he stumbled and dropped to his knees. "I'm tempted to forfeit and give you the win."

"Sasuke Uchiha wins." Hayate announced after checking on the unconscious Lee. "That was an impressive, and pretty destructive, match… Good fight."

"Thanks." Sasuke said before making his way up to his team. Slumping down against the wall again, Sasuke let out a long sigh. "Wake me when someone interesting has a fight."

All around the arena, those who'd just witnessed the fight processed the information in different ways. None of the Konoha officials could bring themselves to look Kakashi in the eye, not out of shame for having doubted him but because the smug 'I told you so' look on his face made them ill. Kakashi himself was actually trying to catch the eye of said officials, just to shoot them the smug 'I told you so' look. Most of the genin of Konoha all looked between the arena floor and the sleeping form of Sasuke with varying degrees of shock, confusion and fear. Ino, however, was still denying that Sasuke was some kind of monster while Sakura and Naruto looked at Sasuke wondering what he hoped to gain by implying he was a jinchuuriki.

"Well Kabuto Yakushi and Shikamaru Nara come down to the arena floor?" Hayate called once the computer decided on the next two fighters. When both were beside him he stated the fight and moved away.

Up above, and ignoring the match, the visiting team from Suna were all dealing with what they'd seen in different ways. Temari was wondering how Gaara was reacting to another jinchuuriki and how she could ensure she was nowhere nearby when he finally decided to attack the host of the legendary Kyuubi. Kankuro was panicking at the idea of being near another, clearly insane, demon host. Baki was mentally trying writing the message he would be sending to the Kazekage and trying to find the best way to word his belief that the attack was in jeopardy. Gaara… Well Gaara was wondering who 'Kurama' was and why this person refused to answer his Mother's calling.

XX Inside The Eight Trigrams Seal XX

Hidden in the deepest, darkest depths of Naruto's mind Kurama, the fearsome Kyuubi, cowered in fear. He'd wrapped his tails around himself in the hopes of invoking the ancient and effective 'If-I-can't-see-them-then-they-can't-see-me style of camouflage. He'd been doing his best to avoid moving or making a sound, so as to not attract the attention of the big scary devil, when Shakaku started yelling through their telepathic link.

"Kurama! Kurama I Know You're There!" The annoying Tanuki cried. "I Can Sense You!"

'_Ignore him, maybe he'll go away… Please go away.'_ Kurama thought to himself as he pulled his tails even tighter around himself.

"If You Don't Answer Me I'm Gonna Get my Host To Hit That Stupid Uchiha You're Stuck In." Shakaku Yelled. "And Haha, You Got Stuck In An Uchiha!"

"I Have Never Been Sealed In A Blasted Uchiha!" Kurama roared. "… Dammit."

"Finally! Why Do You Never Answer Me? It's Not Nice and It Does Horrible Things To My Self Esteem, You Know." Shakaku Cried.

"Oh Shut Up." Kurama snapped. "And I Mean It This Time. In Case You haven't Noticed, There's A Fucking Devil Nearby."

"A Devil?! Hahaha, Good One. The Last Devil In This World Went Bye-Bye When The Sage Ripped The Juubi Up And Made Us!" Shakaku laughed. "And What Do You Mean You Aren't In The Uchiha, My Host Just Watched Him Fight and He possessed Immense And Foul Power Just Like You."

"And Where Do My Powers Come From?" Kurama Yelled.

"Well From Being The Biggest Piece of The Juubi Of Course… Oh Shit." The Tanuki recited, knowing how much Kurama loved to lord his supposed superiority over the rest only to realise why the Uchiha's power felt similar. "Eh… Bye!"

"Good Riddance." Kurama muttered before returning to his cowering in fear.

XX Central Tower XX

"It's quiet." Gaara muttered.

"What's wrong Gaara?" Temari asked, turning away from the fight between a Konoha kunoichi armed with lots of kunai and some silly little girl in purple wondering if she'd need to find someone to use as a meat shield.

"Mother is quiet. I-I can't hear her." Gaara muttered, feeling uneasy without the voice of Shakaku whispering in his mind.

"Oh… Eh…. I-I'm sure M-Mother will start talking again soon Gaara, d-don't worry." Temari stuttered, scared out of her mind at the sight of Gaara so uncertain. An uncertain Gaara tended to kill indiscriminately… Well more indiscriminately anyway. Thankfully a distraction came in the form of Hayate announcing that the weapon user, Tenten, was the winner and that the next fight would be between Naruto Uzumaki and Kiba Inuzuka.

"Walk up!" Naruto yelled as he delivered a sharp kick to Sasuke's ribs. "I'm up next and you said I'm one of the matches you wanted to see."

"Yeah, I'm up… I'm up." Sasuke yawned as he rose to his feet. Looking around he spotted Kiba making his way to the arena. "You fighting Kiba and Akamaru? Though break."

"What? Why?" Naruto asked.

"Well the Inuzuka are speed fighters. Hit-and-run attacks… That kind of thing." Sasuke explained. "So he isn't going to stay in one place long enough for you to do that earth twisting and grabbing thing you seem to prefer… My advice is to get him in close and hit him hard with that arm of yours, several times if possible."

"Thanks." Naruto laughed before making his way down to the arena.

"Hinata won, right?" Sasuke checked with Sakura. "Well, who else fought?"

"Choji faced that Yoroi guy and won in the first round." Sakura began. "Then Hinata managed an impressive victory against that puppet user from Suna… Then you fought Lee. After you Shikamaru went up against that Kabuto guy, something about him is off we're sure of it. Then Ino lost badly to Lee's teammate Tenten."

"Right... Lot of the rookies are passing. Guess Iruka was doing something right." Sasuke noted before turning to watch Naruto's match.

"What the hell happened to your teammates?" Kiba asked Naruto as the two squared off. "I mean first there's Sakura becoming a monster when that crazy proctor lady broke through the window and now Sasuke comes out and pretty much admits he's… He's… What the hell man?"

"You know it's not nice to call other people monsters." Naruto pointed out as Hayate started the match. "And should we, you know, start?"

"In a minute." Kiba told him, not really caring about the match and more interested in getting answers. "When did your team become so different?"

"I honestly have no idea what you're talking about." Naruto shrugged before using Alchemy to repair the damage Lee and Sasuke had caused. "We're as normal as we've always been."

"There! That wasn't normal! What the hell did you do?" Kiba yelled, pointing an accusatory finger at Naruto.

"Simple Alchemy, bit more advanced than normal but still simple." Naruto said as if it explained everything.

"There's nothing normal about… You're messing with me, aren't you!?" Kiba yelled, practically frothing at the mouth.

"What! No, I'd never." Naruto denied, sounding deeply insulted at the accusation only to start laughing. "Yeah you got me… I must be spending too much time with Sasuke. He's a bad influence you know, what with being a demon and all."

"Dammit, don't mock me!" Kiba snapped, pissed off at being made fun of by the 'Dead Last'. "I'm gonna beat the crap out of you, you little shit."

"Little… Little… Little…" Naruto repeated, his eye twitching and fists shaking, before lunging at Kiba. "WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO MINUTE THAT HE'S INVISIBLE TO THE NAKED EYE AND COULD BE STEPPED ON BY AN ANT!"

"Wha…?" Was all Kiba could manage before Naruto was on him and beating the crap out of him. Those watching were unnerved, a few were also impressed, by the level of savagery displayed. Akamaru, showing that loyalty to his partner was stronger than self-preservation instincts, tried to stop Naruto by latching onto the blonde's arm but only succeeded in hurting his mouth.

"Eh, I think you can stop now kid." Hayate nervously told Naruto once it became clear Kiba wasn't gonna be putting up any kind of fight. "Kid... Kid…! Dammit kid, stop now or you're disqualified."

"What? Oh right." Naruto said, snapping out of his frenzy. "I won, cool."

"Y-Yeah kid, you won." Hayate sighed. "Just… Just clear the floor."

"Well you took my advice." Sasuke laughed when Naruto joined his teammates on the balcony. "Although there's a difference between 'several times' and 'pounding a guy for four full minutes'."

"Wait a minute, are you complaining to me about overdoing it?" Naruto challenged.

"Nope." Sasuke said quickly.

_**XXXXX**_

_**And let's leave it there for now, shall we?**_

_**I'm dyslexic, so please point out any mistakes in spelling or grammar [I spell things the way they do in England and Ireland, so some things may look off to Americans]. Please leave your opinion via review or send them via PM, I'd like to know what you think. Well, I think that's everything I've gotta say so, hope you enjoyed the chapter.**_

_**This is Highvalour saying bye and thanks for reading.**_


	36. Naruto Green Lantern Crossover: Redone

_**I'm going through my forum threads, looking for stuff that gets no real attention to delete. So, bit like what I did with chapters 20, 21 and 22 I've decided to write a chapter for each and, if not enough interest is showed, I'll go and delete the idea. Will most likely do the same for my non-Naruto ideas if I start the other collection of fics. The next few chapters will be based on my Naruto/Green Lantern challenge [expansion on chapter 21], my Naruto/Captain America idea [has no previous chapter], my 'Naruto has a Bloodline Limit' idea [sequel to chapter 22], my 'The Devils Blade' [sequel to chapter 20] and one based on my old Naruto/DC comics idea.**_

_**Like always, I really need feedback on these so I can find out what people like/dislike and so I can work out what areas I need to improve on. So please, review.**_

_**Another chapter, another attempt to entertain you all. I honestly do not have anything else to add, so on with the show!**_

_**Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.**_

_**Green Lantern belongs to DC Comics.**_

_**XXXXX**_

XX Unnamed World In Sector 3308 XX

The Red Lanterns tore through the Sinestro Corps defences. They outnumbered their foes almost three to one and what good is fear when your enemy is a mindless beast? Inspired by the human Jonathan Crane, the Sinestro Corps had been attempting to contact the Weaponers of Qward in the hope of commissioning a fear inducing toxin of their own. With it, they could boost their own fear inducing ability and the power of their rings. As the Red lanterns eroded their constructs and began to tear them apart the Sinestro Corps members decided to retreat to the Antimatter Universe.

One of the Red Lanterns, who'd broken away from the rest, gave chase only to find herself trapped between universes when one of the Sinestro Corps sealed the portal and abandoned his fellow Corps members to die. The Red Lantern screamed in impotent rage as she fell through the Multiverse.

XX The Multiverse XX

The Multiverse, the hypothetical concept of several similar, yet different, universes coexisting side by side. While some argued if it even existed, others knew it to be true. Those with knowledge of its existence believed there to be fifty-two separate universes and they were half right. There was in fact only fifty-two universes like their own, a central group. However countless other universes existed on the fringes of this group, where the differences were a little more than cosmetic or moralistic. On some the idea of metahumans was impossible to the masses, in others metahumans counted as the norm. In some universes earth did not exist but in others all there was is earth. Through this vast realm the Red Lantern fell, the energies of the Multiverse proving too much for her ring to block. Its bearer ripped apart the ring did what it could to ensure its own survival. Sealing itself in a tiny sphere of red light, the ring was able to avoid total destruction.

Universes flickered by, close enough for images to be seen but never close enough for the ring to be drawn into. In one a soldier, with a star on his shield, led his allies into a battle for freedom. In another that same soldier, consumed by death and hunger, devoured those same allies. Another universe had no empowered heroes, instead boys fought in mechanised giants in the hope of ending war. Another saw feline warriors battle demons and mutants. Hundreds if not thousands of universes past by as the ring fell, until one universe appeared in its path.

XX Earth, Forest In Fire Country XX

The ring punched a hole through reality and embedded itself in the earth. The trip through the Multiverse had left it damaged and drained. While it detected many possible bearers, it lacked the means to reach them. It was damaged, for too damaged to travel, and so began sending out a distress beacon. Going dormant the ring lay there in the earth, waiting for either this universe's Red Lantern's to find it or for a possible bearer to discover it. It waited a long time.

XX Forest Surrounding Konoha [Decades Later] XX

Sasuke Uchiha could only watch in horror as his team mate was engulfed in Gaara's sand. The pain of the Curse Seal had stripped him of the last of his strength so he couldn't try and help Naruto.

"Shit! My body, it..." Sasuke as he tried to stand, tried to do something to help against the monster that Gaara had become.

"Summoning Jutsu!" Cried a voice just before the sand exploded outwards. Naruto had escaped, and managed to summon the Toad Boss Gamabunta in doing so.

_'Naruto, you... What in the world?' _Thought Sasuke as his team mate, rival and friend tried to convince the gigantic toad to aid him. After the toad agreed Sasuke could only watch in awe as it battled the sand monster Gaara had become. The force of their clash knocked Sasuke from the tree he'd been in. As he lay on the ground, struggling to stay conscious, Sasuke thought he heard a voice. It ws distorted and spoke in a language he couldn't understand. A faint red glow appeared near where he'd landed and grew brighter the longer the voice spoke. Sasuke felt drawn to the light and began crawling towards it. As he neared it, images from that night flashed before his eyes. His parent's bodies, the corpse littered streets and That Man's eyes. Sasuke's rage grew, the Curse Seal pulsed and sent waves of agony through his body as it fed on his hate. As it tried to take control.

After trying several times in different sounding languages, and even trying random growls orwhistles, the voice became clear.

**SASUKE UCHIHA, YOU HAVE GREAT RAGE IN YOUR HEART. YOU BELONG TO THE RED LANTERN CORPS!**

Ignoring the agony in his shoulder, Sasuke reached out for the source of the red light. Enclosing his hand around it, Sasuke found himself holding a strange signet ring. The ring was blood red and felt like it was carved from crude crystal. As he held the ring, images exploded behind his eyes.

_Red and blue armoured beings attacking the sector._

_Bodies of loved ones and friends._

_An empire, forged on suffering and tears._

_Imprisoned by self-appointed Guardians._

_GREEN Light!_

_The raising of a great RED lantern._

_Suffering and pain. Torment and horrific events._

_Fear itself, cultivated by those that wore YELLOW._

_Rings arcing through the sky. Bring power to the powerless. Granting vengeance to the wronged._

_War. Between RED, YELLOW and GREEN._

"With blood… and rage of… crimson red." Sasuke began to recite, almost in a trance as the visions fed his hate and fuelled his unending rage. "Ripped from a corpse… so freshly dead."

The pain of the Curse Seal seemed to dull as Sasuke entire body began to burn. His veins stretched and filled with liquid hate. His heart withered and burned into a husk.

"Together with our hellish hate… we'll burn you all." Sasuke cried out as the visions ended, the trance like state fading. Spraying his molten blood as he screamed to the heavens, Sasuke finished his oath. "That is your Fate!"

With the oath complete, the ring fully awoke. Sending out a surge of Red Light, it sought to contact the Corps. To tell them a bearer had been claimed. To tell them it was damaged and needed repairs to be fully functional. When it sensed no signal from the Central battery, the crude will of the ring enacted a pre-set series of actions laid out by Atrocitus. Activating blockers to shield its bearer from the full force of the Red Light, the ring shut down all non-essential abilities to conserve power. It would need as much power as possible to relight the Central Battery.

"Gah! What… What's happening?" Sasuke snarled as the rage subsided and he could think clearly. Looking at the ring, Sasuke's mind was filled with the information he needed to use it effectively and on how to relight the Central battery. "No… I don't care about some stupid battery. I have power… I'll find Itachi and kill him."

Without a backwards glance at the battle between Naruto and the sand monster Gaara had become, or to the tree Sakura was pinned too, Sasuke began to leave. He stopped when the ring transmitted more data and revealed that it had, at best, enough power to remain active for four days.

"Four days… That's not enough. I-I can't find him in four days." Sasuke raged before letting out a defeated sigh. "Fine… to this 'Ysmault'."

The ring encased Sasuke in a force field of Red Light and began to slowly rise into the air. Spotting Sakura's trapped form from the corner of his eye, Sasuke fired a single blast of plasma to destroy the sand. His final act as a shinobi of Konoha, his final act of kindness.

XX Ysmault XX

"Something is wrong Atrocitus." Qull, one of the Five Inversions and only survivors of Sector 666, told his fellow captive. "A great rage, an all-consuming and destroying hatred comes this way."

"Shut up" Atrocitus, leader of the Five Inversions and fellow survivor of the Sector 666 massacre, snapped. Looking to the sky, Atrocitus watched as a mass of blood red energy rocketed towards them. Ploughing into the ground before them, the energy was shown to contain an unknown alien. It had pale skin and messy black fur on the top of its head. It wore a black outfit that left its lower legs and forearms exposed. A metallic plate adorned its forehead and had a strange spiral marking engraved on it. "How… What, are you?"

"I seek the Central Battery. Where is it?" The alien demanded to know. It was surrounded by a deep red glow, not unlike the green glow of the Guardians servants, and wore a strange ring on its left hand. "I said, where is the Central Battery!?"

"Central Battery? Haha, silly creature." Qull laughed. "Do we look like Green Lanterns to you?"

"if there's no battery, then what do I… Who are you?" The alien asked.

"I am Qull, and we are the Five Inversions. We were the masters of the Empire of Tears." Qull boasted. "You should be in awe."

"The inversions… Which is Atrocitus?" The alien asked.

"I am." Atrocitus snarled. "Why do you care?"

"Is this familiar?" the alien asked as it showed the ring it wore. The ring seemed to be made of red crystal and had a symbol, a circle between to vertical lines – the tips of which curved like horns. It was a symbol Atrocitus knew well.

"The mark of The Butcher… The Red light… How, how do you know it?" Atrocitus gasped. "No one knows of my visions, no one else knows what I saw."

"I came looking for the battery, the battery you were meant to have made." The alien muttered before growing silent. Extending its arm, so like a Green Lantern, the alien fired several blasts of plasma from its ring and destroyed Atrocitus' restraints. Levelling the ring at the Atrocitus, the alien issued orders. "Since you haven't made it yet, get started!"

XX Earth, Frost Country [Three Years Later] XX

Ashina Dohaku, Missing-Nin of Kumo, paused at the door to the house finish buckling his belt. The band of bandits and mercenaries he led was busy sacking and pillaging the village, the few survivors of the attack had been separated depending on their value. Men were mostly put to the sword, since with Gato's death certain aspects of the slave trade had taken a sharp downturn. The women and children and the other hand could be sold for other uses. Of course, he and his men would 'check the merchandise' first. Making his way over to where the village elder was held, pinned to the gates of the local shrine.

"Those granddaughters of yours… Yummy." Ashina whispered. "The older one had a bit of spirit, I might've overdone it a bit when I beat it out of her… The younger one however was a good little girl, I'm sure my boys will make her feel real special."

"You'll pay." The old man seethed. "I'm not deluded enough to claim it'll be at my hands, but you will pay for attacking us."

"Haha, Listen… Do you hear it? The screams and cries." Ashina asked as he brought his hands up and cupped his ears. "They'll carry for miles, the smoke and flames can be seen for miles and we've been here a while… But no one's coming, no one but my boys anyway. And that tells me one thing… No one cares what happens to a shitty little village like this one."

No sooner had he finished talking than a streak of red fall from the sky and crash through the roof of the house he'd just left. A brief bout of terrified and agonised screams from his men followed, than silence. Drawing his katana and channelling Lightning Chakra through it, Ashina advanced slowly. A pulse of red from the doorway was all the warning he got before Ashina's right hand, and the sword handle it was enclosed over, was destroyed by hat looked like solid red light.

"Aaaagh." Ashina screamed as he clutched as the bloody stump. His screams attracted the attention of the other thugs who moved to see that happened. Looking away from his bloody stump, Ashina watched as his attacker walked out of the house. A boy, no more than sixteen at best, stood there watching him with a blood thirsty smirk on his face. The kid wore the shinobi garb, modelled after the standard uniform of Konoha or Suna but with a unique colour scheme. The trousers and undershirt were jet black, as was the underarm section of the flak jacket. The shoulders and chest of the flak jacket were a striking red, as were the forearm guards and heavy boots the boy wore. On his chest was a crest of some kind. A white circle between to vertical white lines, the tips of which curved like horns, and contained all contained in a larger circle. The boy had red eyes, which seemed to glow faintly. His hair was thick and messy, his bangs hanging down past his chin while the back spiked out like an animal's mane. Looking from the stranger to his men, Ashina started yelling. "Don't just stand there, get him!"

Raising their weapons, or their fists for a few, the mob of bandits charged. Sneering, the boy raised his left hand and rapidly fired of dozens of blasts of what could only be called liquid fire. Ashina watched as the blasts hit his men, killing most of his men on impact. Those unlucky enough to survive the initial hit screamed and clawed at the wounds as the substance actually began to eat away at them.

"To hell with this." Ashina screamed as he turned to flee. Before he could even mould his chakra for a Body Flicker, another burst of red light severed his legs just above the knees. Gasping in agony as he fell, Ashina tried to draw a kunai.

"Come here." Growled the boy as he grabbed Ashina by the hair and rose into the air, coming to a stop high above the village. Up close, Ashina saw that beneath the glow the boy's eyes were red and that each contained two black tomoe.

"Wha…? Who are you?" Ashina whimpered.

"I am wrath! I am hate! I am righteous vengeance!" The boy snarled as he raised his left hand. A large ring the boy wore began to glow and release the same liquid fire, covering the kid's arm in it. As the liquid hissed and bottled, Ashina wondered if this was what the old fool meant, was this how he'd suffer? Thrusting his fist forward, the boy impaled Ashina through the chest. "I am the Red Lantern, and my light will burn you all to hell!"

_**XXXXX**_

_**Hal Jordan and Guy Gardner were, without out a doubt, the most terrifying Red Lanterns when each wore a Red Lantern ring. Neither case lasted long, but both did something no other Red Lantern ever bothers to do… They actually made constructs. At the time both had the pure rage needed to fuel the ring, but both had the imagination needed to shape the Red light into something other than its basic blood-plasma form. And if Sasuke's work with Lightning Release and the Black flames of Amaterasu are any sign, he doesn't lack imagination when it comes to using his powers to fight.**_

_**This is an expansion of chapter 21, spelling/grammar mistakes were fixed and the words the ring spoke when Sasuke found was corrected [Red Lantern rings say 'You belong' while Sinestro Corps rings say 'Welcome']. **_

_**So, why did it take Sasuke three years to come back to Earth when it and Ysmault are in the same sector? What happened on Ysmault? Just who will survive the burning light of the Red Lantern? If you guys want to know, let me know.**_

_**I'm dyslexic, so please point out any mistakes in spelling or grammar [I spell things the way they do in England and Ireland, so some things may look off to Americans]. Please leave your opinion via review or send them via PM, I'd like to know what you think. Well, I think that's everything I've gotta say so, hope you enjoyed the chapter.**_

_**This is Highvalour saying bye and thanks for reading.**_


	37. The Aftermath: Sasuke

_**I'd originally planned to write another chapter of 'Legacy' and then a chapter of 'Thunderstruck' this weekend but this was gnawing away at my find for a while and I just want it out of the way. It isn't based on any of the forum ideas, meaning I still have to get through them later, but is the final chapter in the 'Aftermath' series [chapters five, thirteen and sixteen]. Sasuke dealing with what happened, what Sakura decided to do and what happens to Kakashi.**_

_**Oh, before I forget, I have started a new collection of ficlets and one-shots for Non-Naruto fics. It's called 'Chaos In The Cosmos – A Collection Of Stories' and has two chapters so far based on an idea for a Halo/Mass Effect fusion. Feedback and opinions wanted and needed.**_

_**Another chapter, another attempt to entertain you all. I honestly do not have anything else to add, so on with the show! **_

_**Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto **_

_**XXXXX**_

XX Konoha, Hokage's Tower XX

"We have Hatake's report here." The chunin began as he sat across from Sasuke. "We just need to verify some of the information."

"Fine." Sasuke shrugged, not really paying attention.

"Now your team encountered the Demon Brothers Gōzu and Meizu while still in Fire Country, correct?" The chunin asked.

"Yeah." Sasuke answered, seemingly on autopilot. As the chunin continued with his questioning, Sasuke let his thoughts drift. _"I have them... I have these eyes. I can match him... I can beat him, make him pay. I did it, I clung to my life and now I have the same eyes... I have the same... I have...'_

"Uchiha! Uchiha, we're done." The chunin called out, snapping Sasuke out of his thoughts. "You can go. Until you can be reassigned to a new team, you can consider yourself relieved from active duty."

"Reassigned? Why am I being reassigned?" Sasuke asked as he made his way towards the door.

"With Uzumaki dead, Haruno requesting a transfer and Hatake being stripped of command, it's been decided that Genin Team Seven is effectively gone." The chunin answered. "With the Chunin Exams coming up shortly, you'll probably get a new team in two or three months."

"Sakura requested a transfer?" Sasuke asked, blinking in surprise. "What...? Why?"

"Don't know." The chunin shrugged. "You'll have to ask her."

XX Third Training Ground XX

"You asked for a transfer?" Sasuke said by way of greeting. "Why?"

"I-I don't want to die." Sakura admitted. "I don't want to die and I don't want to see someone else die. The... The Hokage said I could transfer, take over some of the basic clerical work in his tower. You know, filing reports and distributing missions."

"So, you're giving up on being a real ninja? Just gonna become a glorified secretary?" Sasuke challenged, angrier then he thought he'd be. "If that's what you plan, why didn't you just quit when Kakashi told us to?"

"Because I was deluded!" Sakura shrieked, tears pooling in the corners of her eyes. "I thought it would be great fun, I thought we'd have adventures and... and... And I thought if things went wrong you'd just save me. And now I know that isn't how it works... Being a shinobi isn't fun, there aren't any adventures and... You wouldn't be able to save me if I needed it."

"I see." Sasuke whispered before the two fell into an uncomfortable silence. After what felt like an eternity, Sasuke spoke again. "When... When are they holding the funeral?"

"The day after tomorrow." Sakura shrugged. "Naruto was an orphan, so not many will be there... Will you?"

"He save my life, so yeah." Sasuke told her, unknowingly reaching up and touching his left eye. "He died saving me, he died because of me."

"I-I have to go." Sakura told him, fighting down sobs. "bye."

"Sakura." Sasuke gasped, his hand snapping out and grabbing her arm as she passed. "Don't... Don't be a stranger, okay?"

"Okay." Sakura sobbed before leaving.

"Goodbye." Sasuke muttered once she'd left. Walking to the nearby stream, Sasuke just stood and stared at his reflection. As he stood staring, the black iris of his eyes brightened and became blood red. The tomoe of his sharingan forming. Two of the black tear shaped markings in his right eye, one in his left. Staring into his reflected eyes, Sasuke watched as the tomoe spun and warped. The colours bled into each other with the black of those tear shaped marks covering the outside of his iris, leaving a blood red six pointed star in each eye. Wiping away the trail of tears that had form, Sasuke let out a harsh and hollow laugh. "And now I have the same eyes as him."

XX Kakashi's Apartment XX

"Come in Sasuke, it's open." Kakashi called out before Sasuke had even knocked at the door. "What's up?"

"I want you to train me." Sasuke told him simply, staring straight at his former teacher. "I need to get stronger, I need to get faster and I need to learn how to use these eyes of mine."

"Back only a day and already thinking of training, take a break." Kakashi told him disapprovingly.

"No, I need to get more powerful." Sasuke snapped.

"I'm not going to train you Sasuke." Kakashi told him coldly. "I'm not your sensei anymore, not that you ever truly acknowledged me as such anyway, and I don't feel like fuelling your self destructive obsession. So no, I won't help you."

"You have to! I-I need to be stronger." Sasuke practically roared before breaking down and sobbing. "If I'd been stronger or if I'd been faster, I could have stopped him... I-If I had mastered my eyes, I could have seen him and stopped him before... Before he died."

"You, you're not talking about Itachi... Are you?" Kakashi asked the sobbing boy.

"if I'd been stronger or faster, I could have beaten that ice user before he had too... If my eyes were more powerful I could have seen the senbon, could have dodged better or countered or... If I'd been better..." Sasuke sobbed. "If I'd been better, he wouldn't have had to die. If I'd been better they would still be here... Everyone dies because I'm weak. I-I need to get strong, I need to make sure no one else dies... I can't, I can't have anyone else die on me."

"I'm not your sensei anymore, I'm not anyone's sensei and I will never be allowed an apprentice." Kakashi tried to explain. "Sasuke listen, go find someone else. Go find someone who can train a genin... Who isn't as screwed up as I am, who isn't so blinded by the past that he sees you and not the ghosts of his own fuck ups."

"Please sensei, only you can help." Sasuke begged as he activated his Mangekyo. "You said everyone you care about is dead and... And you have a sharingan! You must have one of these, you're the only one who can help me. You're the only one who can train me to use it. I lost the closest thing to a friend so please, help me protect the village he cared about... Help me honour him. Help me take these cursed eyes and use their power for something."

"Alright." Kakashi sighed. "I'll do what I can but my eye isn't very strong. I never had the chakra, or the hate, to maintain and power it... But I'll try, in Naruto's memory I will try."

_**XXXXX**_

_**Okay, pretty short. That's it done, Kakashi will never be placed in charge of a group [he can still do solo missions or work under another's command] and Sakura decides to stay as a ninja but leaves front line fighting [freeing up experienced chunin who could be out doing missions instead of administrative duty]. As for Sasuke, survivor's guilt... If anyone's wondering what Sasuke uses to supply the hate he uses to fuel and empower his jutsu [such as Sasunoo] it's the same answer Darth Vader gave Darth Maul in the Star Wars EU comic '**__**Resurrection'... Pretty hard to find a greater source of hatred really.**_

_**I'm dyslexic, so please point out any mistakes in spelling or grammar. I'm also writing this on a Word Program that has no Spell Check, so mistakes are far more likely. Feedback via review or PM is most welcome and needed, the more I hear back about my writing or the story the more I can improve. Well, I think that's everything I've gotta say so, hope you enjoyed the chapter.**_

_**Thanks for reading.**_


	38. Naruto meets DC - Neji's Backstory

_**Instead of writing one big chapter for my Naruto/DC idea, since that would entail introducing every character and not being able to delve too deep into their modified backgrounds, I've decided I'll take three of the changed characters and give them each a short Origin Story instead. If the glimpses of the story you guys see makes you want to see more let me know otherwise I'll strike it off my list and focus on other ideas.**_

_**Here are the Origin Stories of Neji in this universe [working title, Shinobi Comics].**_

_**Like always, I really need feedback on these so I can find out what people like/dislike and so I can work out what areas I need to improve on. So please, review.**_

_**Another chapter, another attempt to entertain you all. I honestly do not have anything else to add, so on with the show!**_

_**Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.**_

_**DC Characters belongs to DC Comics.**_

_**XXXXX**_

XX Konoha, Ninja Academy XX

Seven year old Neji Hyuuga sat at the back of the class, looking through the history textbook their teacher had just handed out. The class was studying the time period before the formation of the Great Villages and the numerous wars between the groups that would later become the great shinobi clans as well as the clashes between those groups and the early samurai. Subconsciously reaching up and rubbing the seal on his forehead through the bandages he wore, Neji listened to the teacher with have an ear.

"Back in the early days, before the ninjutsu we use today had been perfected, the samurai had a significant advantage in weaponry." The teacher explained. "The samurai were expert archers, able to fire an arrow from almost a kilometre away and hit their targets exactly where they wanted."

"So, people would just dodge." Snorted one of the boys.

"Those arrows could travel nearly a hundred metres a second, that's a lot faster than any kunai or shuirken." The teacher told him. "Most people died before they even knew the samurai was aiming at them."

"Then how did the shinobi win?" Asked another of the other children.

"There were no shinobi, at least not yet." The teacher explained. "What broke the power of the old samurai clans were the bloodline limits. The Kaguya clan and their 'dead bone pulse' slaughtered the samurai who'd ruled the islands of modern Water Country while the samurai on the mainland faced the combined force of the Uchiha, the Hyuuga and dozens of others."

"How did the clans beat the bows?" Neji asked, mention of his clan having caught his attention. "If they could kill from that far away and could fire arrows that fast, how did they lose?"

"The sharingan allowed the Uchiha to track the arrows and dodge, it also allowed the Uchiha to copy the expert sword techniques of the samurai and turn them back on the samurai." The teacher began to explain, happy that today wouldn't be one of those 'just read and boy the kids' days. "The other clans, not being able to do that, instead developed what evolved into the basics of the shinobi way. Stealth and misdirection, poison and ambushes; these allowed the clans to beat the samurai. In fact, the only true samurai left are those that live on Three Wolves Mountain in Iron Country."

"Why did they fight?" One of the boys asked. "Where the samurai bad or something?"

"No, the clans fought them mostly for the same reasons they fought each other." The teacher told them. "A few of the clans may have had personal reasons for fighting, but mostly it was to remove competition for clients… Now, I think it's actually time for weapons practice."

XX Konoha, Streets XX

As Neji made his way back to the Hyuuga Compound he thought about what he'd learned. One of the civilian born kids had told them how her older brother and father sometimes went out hunting in the forests around the villages with bows and how they really were as powerful as the teacher had made them sound. She said her brother would let them watch him practice if they didn't get in his way, which sounded cool.

"Lord Hiashi wouldn't let me go." Neji muttered dejectedly to himself. Neji knew he wouldn't be allowed to go, he was Branch Clan and his duty was to serve the Main House all the time. "It's not fair."

As he entered the Clan Compound Neji came face to face with his uncle and cousin.

"Lord Hiashi, Lady Hinata." He greeted with a bow. Remembering what his father had told him when he was much younger, Neji counted to ten in his head. If neither addressed him before he was finished counting he could go on about his business. If one, most likely Hiashi, did say something then he was about to be sent off to do something.

"Hello Neji." Hinata greeted from her position by her father.

"You've returned, good." Hiashi nodded. "Come, Hinata needs to spar."

"Yes Lord Hiashi." Neji said, trying to bury the bitterness at not being able to do what he wanted to.

Hiashi stared down at Neji for a moment before turning and leading the two children to one of the dojos. After less than five minutes, Hiashi ordered them to stop and sent Hinata off. Once she was gone he turned his attention to Neji.

"There is something you would rather be doing than assisting in Hinata's training." Hiashi didn't ask, he stated. "Do not deny it, I can see it clearly."

"O-One of my classmates, her brother goes hunting with a bow sometimes. She invited us over to watch him practice. I-I wanted to go." Neji admitted, terrified of whatever Hiashi was planning to do.

"But you returned." Was Hiashi's simple reply to this.

"Y-Yes… The Branch Clan is meant to serve the Main House." Neji said, again trying to suppress his bitterness and sadness. "I had to come back to serve."

"Then go." Hiashi ordered as he rose. "You are distracted and it is affecting you're fighting ability. Training against you like this will do Hinata's skills no good."

"T-thank you Lord Hiashi." Neji bowed before rushing off.

"You're letting him go?" Hiashi's father criticised as he entered.

"If it improves his focus then I see no harm." Hiashi told him before walking out.

"You are the Clan Head, he should focus because you tell him to!" His father snapped as he followed Hiashi out.

"Neji is gone now so changing my mind won't really matter now, would it? Hiashi asked before walking off. "Good day father."

XX Konoha, Hyuuga Compound – Two Weeks later XX

"It's impressive." Hiashi said, more to himself then anything. He was standing in an isolated part of the compound grounds where Neji had managed to cobble together some rough targets and had taken to practicing, playing really, with a cheap bow the boy had traded with a civilian for. "That he manages to handle his time at the academy, training in the Gentle Fist and finding time to train here… It's impressive."

"It's dangerous." His father corrected. "The boy is bitter about his father's death. And that bitterness will grow as he does, he could very well end up like the Uchiha and consumed by it."

"if that happens, I will deal with it." Hiashi sighed. He didn't want to admit it, but he knew his father was right. Neji was angry over Hizashi's death and as time went by that anger grew. "And if the worst comes to pass, there is the Caged Bird."

"The Caged Bird is worthless if he isn't close enough for you to trigger it!" Hiashi's father yelled, rounding on his son and practically frothing at the mouth. "Any halfway decent archer could kill you if you don't see him firing. I guarantee you if you don't take steps to handle this, your daughter will be Clan Head much sooner… Why couldn't Hizashi have died childless, it would save so much trouble."

"I'll handle it then." Hiashi ground out. Returning to the main house, Hiashi ordered several members of the Branch Clan to dispose of the targets and to search Neji's room for the bow. When the wreckage of the targets lay at his feet and the bow was in his hands, Hiashi gave out new orders.

XX Konoha, Ninja Academy XX

Neji looked up when one of his cousins entered the class and spoke to the teacher. Leaving when he was told to, Neji followed his cousin out of the academy and back to the Clan Compound. On their way back, Neji tried to find out what had happened but was only told it was due to 'orders from Lord Hiashi'. When they arrived Neji was ushered to his room. There standing by the window and looking out on the gardens was his uncle.

"That is for you." Hiashi said, pointing towards a scroll.

Picking it up, Neji recognised his name written on it. Opening it slowly Neji read the message several times, both to be sure of what he was reading and because he was struggling with a few of the words.

_Neji,_

_I'm afraid I only have a little time left and I want to use that _

_limited time to tell you something. The Head Ninja from Kumo _

_tried to abduct Hinata but Lord Hiashi killed him. Kumo refused _

_to even recognise this kidnapping and only raised trouble over his _

_death. They demanded his head. I cannot allow that. I have decided_

_that I shall be handed over instead. I'm not doing this for the Main _

_House or because of the Caged Bird… I'm doing this for my brother. _

_I am choosing my own destiny. I'm sorry that I won't be there for you _

_but I have to do this. To protect the village, to protect the clan and most _

_of all, to protect you. Forge your own destiny, _

_Neji. Your fate is something you create with your own hands._

"It should be Hizashi, he is the one who should still be here and not me." Hiashi said, breaking the silence between them. "Not a day passes that I don't wish he was still here… You, Neji, are all I have left of my brother and even if you hate me I will always care for you."

"L-Lord Hiashi." Neji gasped as Hiashi bowed as low as possible before him.

"You have every right to hate me. I couldn't stop Hizashi from going in my place. I'm the reason he's gone and if you ever act on that hate, I accept what comes." Hiashi admitted. "Until then, I have had those crude archery tools replaced with superior ones. The Gentle Fist or way of the bow, whatever you wish to follow is up to you."

XX Ninth Training Field- Five Years Later XX

"Hey! Hey! Did you hear?" Lee yelled as he appeared in a blur and stopped Neji's arrow an inch from hitting the bullseye. "For the first time in five years, there are gonna be rookies in this year's Chunin Exam!"

"No way!" Tenten laughed as she sharpened the tips of her clawed gloves. "It's probably some stubborn Jonin competition or something."

"No, the story is that three of them are the students of that Kakashi guy Guy-sensei keeps talking about..." Lee explained, a smile spreading across his face at the idea of testing his skills against the students of Guy-sensei's rival.

"Hatake?" Neji laughed. "His team has that Uzumaki kid, right?"

"Yeah and Sasuke Uchiha… You know him, don't you?" Lee smirked.

"Uzumaki, Uchiha and who's the third?" Tenten asked.

"Sakura Haruno." Neji told her. "From the way Hinata talks about her, Haruno is a terror at hand to hand combat… This'll be fun."

_**XXXX**_

_**Okay, that's Neji. He's based on Green Arrow. Lee is based on The Flash and Tenten will be modelled on Catwoman. Others will be covered in another chapter [either Sakura or someone from Team Ten]. Check my forum if you want to see who's been changed or want to recommend two characters I might mix [Not all characters will be changed, those that are left with their canon abilities will instead just be made far more badass]… If you want to see the full DC crossover continued let me know, or if you'd like to see a few chapters just focused on a Neji based on Green Arrow say so.**_

_**I'm dyslexic, so please point out any mistakes in spelling or grammar [I spell things the way they do in England and Ireland, so some things may look off to Americans]. Please leave your opinion via review or send them via PM, I'd like to know what you think. Well, I think that's everything I've gotta say so, hope you enjoyed the chapter.**_

_**This is Highvalour saying bye and thanks for reading.**_


	39. Deal With A Devil 2

_**First, wanna say congrats to Chash for getting a story listed on a TvTropes Fanfic Rec page [if you don't read his stuff, go check it out he's a good writer]. Second, I'd like to apologise for what comes next… I'm not the best at writing action scenes [I can come up with them, but getting them from my imagination to the page is tricky]. **_

_**Like always, I really need feedback on these so I can find out what people like/dislike and so I can work out what areas I need to improve on. So please, review.**_ _**Another chapter, another attempt to entertain you all. I honestly do not have anything else to add, so on with the show!**_

_**Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.**_

_**Warhammer Fantasy Battle belongs to Games Workshop.**_

_**XXXXX**_

XX Mountains Near Konoha XX

"Okay, one more time Sasuke." Kakashi called out cheerfully. For the first time in nearly three weeks he was happy. Sasuke was well on his way to learning the basics of the Chidori, a technique Kakashi hoped Sasuke would come to rely on in place of the temptation the Curse Seal offered.

'_By the time the finals come around he should have it down well enough to use in a controlled__ battle environment.' _Kakashi thought to himself before letting his mind wander to the other reason he was happy._ 'And by now Ebisu should be finished the basic chakra control techniques and be well into the taijutsu training. One month with Ebisu should more than make up for all the time Naruto skipped at the academy… Once I get Naruto back he'll be more than up to scratch for my training.'_

"I can't wait." Kakashi laughed before returning his attention to Sasuke. "Alright, that's enough work on converting your chakra into lightning. Let's get working on your speed and endurance, the jutsu I plan to teach you takes its toll and requires a lot of speed."

"Fine." Sasuke gasped as he stopped directing chakra into his hand. Once the chakra flow ended, the pain in his Mark lessened. Moving to the markers they'd set up for him to train between, Sasuke turned to Kakashi. "What do you know about Gaara anyway?"

"Not much, villages generally don't swap information about shinobi." Kakashi shrugged. "From his match with Guy's student Lee, I can tell you he uses sand to both attack and defend… He's also insane."

"Yeah, I gathered that last bit myself." Sasuke snorted before he began racing between the markers as fast as he could. "I've never heard of anyone who used sand before."

"It's a rare ability." Kakashi agreed, checking a watch to track Sasuke's time.

"Is it some Hidden Jutsu from Suna?" Sasuke asked, trying to focus on something other than the voices in his head.

"Rarer than a Hidden Jutsu." Kakashi told Sasuke as he ran some mental arithmetic to calculate just how much Sasuke had improved since they'd started training.

"A Bloodline Limit then?" Sasuke guessed, the voices screaming for him to fight and kill.

"Even rarer… Only one can possess this ability at a time." Kakashi told him.

"Then what?" Sasuke snapped. "If it isn't a Hidden Jutsu or a Bloodline Limit, what is it?

"I have my suspicions." Kakashi admitted. He was hesitant to label the boy a jinchuuriki unless he had confirmation.

"Fine, keep your secrets." Sasuke snapped before dropping the subject. He knew Kakashi didn't plan to tell him anymore and any attempt to get the information would just end in frustration. The two fell into a long silence as Sasuke continued to push himself. As they were winding down the training for the day, Sasuke asked a question that had been gnawing away at his mind. "Kakashi, does Konoha have any weapon masters?"

"Weapons masters!?" Kakashi repeated, scratching his chin and trying to think of anyone he knew of. "Hayate is a master swordsman… And I think Guy mentioned that kunoichi, Tenten, is training to be a ranged weapons user. Bar that, no not really… Why?"

"I dunno… I just, just want to learn." Sasuke shrugged. Making his way over to where the two had set up camp, Sasuke tore into a ration bar. "If we can, can we try weapons training tomorrow?"

"Now, now Sasuke." Kakashi chastised as he sat down across from Sasuke and began work on a fire. "Try and master everything at once and you'll master nothing at all. When the Chunin Exams are over I'll see about getting you a few lessons… That's pretty impressive."

What is?" Sasuke asked as he finished off his ration bar and reached another.

"Well the fact that you're willing to eat two of those bars in a row for starters." Kakashi said with a groan. "And the way you handle that knife."

"Wha…?" Sasuke muttered in surprise after looking down at his free hand and finding that he'd been playing with a small knife the entire time. Thinking fast and trying to change the subject, Sasuke looked at back at Kakashi. "Who's Naruto facing?"

"Neji Hyuuga, he's Hinata's first cousin." Kakashi answered. "He's last year's Rookie of the Year and a prodigy of the Hyuuga Clan's Gentle Fist taijutsu style."

"Is he getting stronger?" Sasuke asked as he started to play with the knife again.

"Neji? Of course." Kakashi laughed. "He's one of Guy's students and a member of the Hyuuga Clan, he'll have improved by leaps and bounds since graduating."

"Not him, Naruto!" Sasuke corrected before he tossed the knife off to the side, impaling a small lizard that had been passing nearby. "Is Naruto getting stronger?"

"I'd think so, he's being trained by Ebisu." Kakashi said as he looked from Sasuke to the dead lizard and back. "What exactly do you practise when I'm not around anyway?"

"Good. He'll need to be strong…" Sasuke sighed as he lay down and gazed up into the sky. "… A storm's coming. They'll need to be strong to survive."

"Who will?" Kakashi asked, watching Sasuke with concern.

"Everyone!" Sasuke told him.

XX Chunin Exam Stadium XX

"Sorry we're late." Kakashi said as he and Sasuke entered the arena. "He insisted on collecting something from home before we came here."

"Your name?" Genma asked, shaking his head at how bad Kakashi's excuse was this time.

"Sasuke Uchiha." Sasuke told him as he adjusted the armoured guards he wore on his arms. They'd belonged to 'That Man', but Sasuke was willing to ignore that until he could get armour that fit him better. Turning to look at his teammate, Sasuke smirked. "You won?"

"Of course." Naruto smirked back. "Was there any doubt?"

"No, I knew you would." Sasuke admitted before reaching up and rubbing the Mark. "I know we'll fight here later and I've been looking forward to it all month."

"Hehe, I knew we were flashy and everything." Kakashi began, rubbing his neck sheepishly. "But eh… Was Sasuke disqualified?"

"Being late must be contagious." Genma muttered before checking his watch. "We'd pushed Sasuke's match back to 'til the end… You just made it."

"Well that's good, right Sasuke?" Kakashi laughed, clapping a head down onto the boy's shoulder. Squeezing slightly, Kakashi looked down at the last loyal Uchiha with a quirked eyebrow. "Interesting."

"Yeah." Sasuke agreed distractedly as he scanned the crowds. When his eyes reached the competitor's booth, the Mark pulsed violently. The pressure on his neck, and the volume of the voices, grew as he locked his eyes on a pair of deranged green eyes.

"Gaara, come down for your match."

"Good luck Sasuke." Naruto said before he and Shikamaru left for the competitor's booth.

"Yeah, good luck Sasuke." Kakashi said before dropping his voice. "Remember, twice is your limit… And do not, under any circumstances, activate the Curse seal. Nothing good comes from Orochimaru."

"You don't have to worry about me using Orochimaru's power." Sasuke told him as he rolled his shoulders. "You don't have to worry at all."

"Good." Kakashi said with a sigh of relief.

Watching as Kakashi made his way up into the stands, Sasuke reached up and rubbed the Mark of Khorne. Since he'd entered the arena, the Mark had felt different. The pulses had lessened in intensity but increased in frequency, matching his heartbeat. The voices had changed as well, no longer demanding slaughter they now called for him to kill the champion. That the Ravenhost be denied his harbinger. Turning, Sasuke watched as Gaara walked out into the light, the young lunatic was twitching and muttering to himself.

"Hehehe… This'll be fun… Mother's gone now, but I'm not alone." Gaara laughed as he squared up to Sasuke. "People say the Uchiha were strong… They say you're strong… They say you're like me, are you? Do you have the blessings? Do you possess the power? Do you hear the voices too?"

"Do I… Oh shit." Sasuke gulped as he noticed a faint blue glow coming from beneath Gaara's skin, or the Armour of Sand he hid beneath.

"Now, what should have been the second match!" Genma Shiranui declared. "Begin!"

"Hehehe… I'm gonna kill you." Gaara promised. "I'm gonna cut you… Gonna stab you… Gonna grind and smash and rip and tear and mangle… Mother is gone, but the voices keep my company. Always there, whispering in my ears… Telling me how to fight, how to win. They know things, they help me… Do the voices help you?"

"I don't need their help." Sasuke growled as he dropped into a loose fighting stance, his own Mark pulsing and radiating power. "Bring it."

The gourd on Gaara's back exploded outward as Gaara directed all his sand out to attack. Shaping itself into a massive, and twisted, claw the sand tried to crush Sasuke. Acting on instinct not entirely his own, Sasuke rolled to the side. Coming to a stop, he sprinted forward. He had to end this quick, he knew the Mark he'd seen beneath Gaara's sand. He didn't know how, but he knew it. Drawing a kunai from his leg pouch, Sasuke aimed for Gaara's throat but was swatted aside when the sand claw blindsided him.

"Hehehe… Try again Uchiha." Gaara mocked as the sand settled and hung around him. "Be my first sacrifice."

Pointing as Sasuke, Gaara formed and fired nine long spears of compacted sand. Pumping chakra into his eyes, and ignoring the pain from his own Mark, Sasuke activated his sharingan and twisted his body to avoid the attack. Retrieving his kunai, Sasuke launched it and half a dozen more at Gaara.

"Oh please, do better." Gaara said as he raised a hand causing his sand to compact and block them.

'_He blocked them there.' _Sasuke noted._ 'Kakashi said the sand worked on its own to shield him… Why did he actually block the kunai then?'_

Dodging as long tendrils of sand lashed out and tried to skewer him, Sasuke moved forward again. Relying on his speed, Sasuke tried to circle around Gaara to catch him off guard. Ducking and diving to avoid the sand, Sasuke nearly missed the disturbed earth before it was too late.

"Shit!" Sasuke exclaimed as the ground beneath him exploded upwards, turning the area around Gaara into a field of earthen spikes. As the spikes crumbled and their fragments joined with the sand the surrounded Gaara, the deranged boy laughed again.

"See, the voices help me… They teach me how to use my power." He explained as more spears formed around them. "The voices give me power, they give me guidance and they give me change… Tell me, Uchiha, what do the voices give you?"

"Headaches." Sasuke admitted before retreating to the far side of the arena. Focusing his chakra, Sasuke began to form a particular sequence of hand seals. "Ox, rabbit, monkey…Here we go."

As me pumped chakra Sasuke focused on converting it into electrical energy. When his entire hand was sheathed in lightning, Sasuke let loose with a bloodthirsty war cry and charged. Seeming to notice the danger Sasuke's technique posed, Gaara directed all of his sand forward to try and kill Sasuke quickly.

'_Gotta time this right.'_ Sasuke thought to himself before jumping high into the air. Using his momentum and a burst of chakra directed into his legs, Sasuke managed to clear the wall of sand and land directly in front of Gaara. Before the boy could react, Sasuke drove his Chidori covered hand deep into the Suna shinobi's chest. Behind him Sasuke heard the sand fall to the ground, its manipulator dead.

"Not bad for a Chosen of Kharneth." Gaara seemed to laugh, seemingly unaffected by Sasuke's forearm sticking out of his chest. When he spoke again the voice was different, and its words terrified Sasuke. "But our host is beyond this… Such a fleeting wound is inconsequential. The Lord of Change sends you his regards."

_**XXXXX**_

_**There we go, continuation of chapter 33. We see another shinobi who's aligned him/herself to the Ruinous Powers, expect to see many more. A few people noted how Sasuke wasn't acting very Khornate and the reason is as follows. Those that fall to the sway of Chaos too easily have only one fate and I doubt a Chaos-Spawn would make for an interesting main character… Do you?**_

_**The plot has undergone a pretty big change since I wrote the previous chapter, originally I'd planned for the whole thing to a gambit by Tzeentch to trick people into believing the other Chaos Gods had chosen them [he'd mimic the gifts of Khorne/Nurgle/Slannesh in the hope that the person's actions would draw the attention of the real god] but I realised that wouldn't work well later on when the Chaos Gods did start taking champions so I dropped it and Sasuke was contacted by a Bloodthirster. This means that the deliberate mistakes in the chapter 33 have no real meaning now, so ignore them.**_

_**I'm dyslexic, so please point out any mistakes in spelling or grammar [I spell things the way they do in England and Ireland, so some things may look off to Americans]. Please leave your opinion via review or send them via PM, I'd like to know what you think. Well, I think that's everything I've gotta say so, hope you enjoyed the chapter.**_

_**This is Highvalour saying bye and thanks for reading.**_


	40. Bad Blood Revisited

_**Eh bit of a heads up here for what I'm planning to do here in WNTK over the next few weeks. I'm planning to get the next chapter of Team Nightmare out between Christmas and New Year's Eve, so you can look forward to a belated gift from me with that. I plan to do the second Shinobi Comics origin story [two origins in one really] and I think I might go back and do a chapter for either the 'Sasuke graduated early' or 'Sasuke a member of Team Eight' when both of them are done. If I have time I'll also throw up a stand-alone chapter that deals with ideas and events that will be included in Shinobi Comics, but not actually be set in said verse.**_

_**I was reading back through my old stuff the other day and I felt like revisiting my ROOTs… so to speak. That's why I'm doing this one-shot, a revised version of chapters four and five from Hunter's Moon.**_

_**Like always, I really need feedback on these so I can find out what people like/dislike and so I can work out what areas I need to improve on. So please, review.**__**Another chapter, another attempt to entertain you all. I honestly do not have anything else to add, so on with the show!**_

_**Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.**_

_**Predator belongs to 20**__**th**__** Century Fox.**_

_**XXXXX**_

XX ROOT Headquarters, Beneath Konoha XX

Danzo walked slowly through the tunnels that made up his base of operations. Last night's operation had been a success. His agents had been able to manipulate a sizeable mob, through genjutsu and planted instigators, into marching on the orphanage where the Uzumaki had been living. Several incendiary tags latter the entire building was aflame, providing cover as his most trusted lieutenants replaced the boy with an already dead child and then smuggled away.

Entering one of the laboratories he'd had set up specifically to study artefacts and liquids that had been recovered from one of Orochimaru's original bases, Danzo approached the scientist he'd placed in charge of research into the performance enhancing liquid.

"Are you ready to begin?" Danzo asked, gaining the scientist's attention.

"Indeed we are." The scientist, a small twisted man cast from the same mould Orochimaru, said excitably as he motioned for Danzo to follow. Moving off to the side they came to the viewing booth for an operating theatre. "I've spoken with your best seal masters and they feel that the degeneration of his charka pathways will have no negative effects on the Kyuubi's prison. In fact, they say that destroying the boy's coils will prevent him from tapping into its power and help keep the seal strong."

"Good." Danzo nodded as he sat himself on the only chair. "When will you be starting?"

"The boy is being prepared as we speak." The scientist explained as he turned to leave for the theatre. "We will be beginning in about five minutes. Mostly sample harvesting and repair work, boy fought back and your men roughed him up a bit."

"When will the treatments start?" Danzo clarified. "When will you start his exposure to the Liquid and when can I expect results on your end?"

"Based on Orochimaru's data, and our own experiments over the last three years, I'd say four to six months." The scientist told him. Noticing Danzo's look of displeasure, the scientist clicked his tongue in annoyance and defended his slow progress. "Unlike that hack you plucked from Yuki, who's only real work around here is not blowing us all up with those relics you have him reverse engineering, I am trying to perfect genetic grafting and manipulating using a previously unknown source. If I'd rushed then the boy would most likely end up like everyone Orochimaru tested it on or the subjects we tested on and then what would you do? If the boy lives, he'll be the template for your army I know it… Just be patient."

"I am patient, Hojo." Danzo said, his voice low and threatening. "I just want to ensure the money and resources I've pumped into actually bare results. Now, get to work."

Not bothering to answer, Hojo made his way down into the operating theatre and off into a side room to prepare himself. When he was ready and Naruto Uzumaki had been strapped down onto the table he gathered the other scientists and doctors around the boy.

"Now tomorrow we begin treatment and that means tonight is our last chance to gather samples to use as for further experimentation." He told them, noticing how the boy was awake and focusing on him. After informing the others that he wanted samples of everything, from saliva to bone marrow, Hojo leaned down and patted Naruto on the head. "Hehe, relax it'll only hurt until we finish with you."

XX ROOT Research Labs, Konoha – Six Months Later XX

"Report." Danzo said by way of greeting as he interrupted a meeting between Hojo and his chief assistants.

"We underestimated the changes, we're seeing some surprising changes." Hojo informed Danzo after dismissing the assistants. Leading Danzo to the viewing booth, Hojo pointed into the operating theatre where a restrained Naruto was being worked on. As the boy thrashed against his restraints several ROOT shinobi had to be called to assist in holding him still. "So far we've seen increases in bone and muscle density, making him stronger and tougher than a normal person his size. His skin has gotten thicker, almost like leather, and with his extra strength our little fact finding excursions are getting harder to do. His eyes and blood are also changing. He's showing signs of being able to see a lower level of the electromagnetic spectrum, specifically the infrared portion, and his blood his a murky brown, a mix between the normal red and the Liquid's green… I've sent a sample over to Dr J's lab to test a theory."

"What kind of theory?" Danzo asked as he watched four of his ninja struggle to pin the boy down completely. "And why hasn't he been sedated?"

"Because sedatives cost a lot of money. And it's a good way to up his pain threshold." Hojo shrugged. "As for the theory, I think that our Liquid may in fact be the blood of whoever or whatever created the weapons and armour Dr J is working on."

"I don't see how if matters if we know what the Liquid is, only that it works." Danzo said dismissively. "Now, what was that about his eyes seeing in infrared?"

"He has shown signs of being able to see into it, a basic form of thermal vision." Hojo answered. "We noticed it while using heated instruments, he showed greater fear when a hot blade was shown… A few tests and we found he can shift his vision, still hit or miss as to maintaining it but he's improving."

"Interesting, does it have any practical applications though?" Danzo asked as he watched the doctors unstrap Naruto and hand him over to the ROOT ninja. "And what of his chakra coils?"

"Well it'll allow him to track targets in low visibility by following their body heat… May act as a counter to visual genjutsu since the images his foe creates won't in in the infrared, we'd have to test." Hojo shrugged. "As for the coils, they haven't decayed as quickly as we thought. Seems the Kyuubi is attempting to preserve them but that's only delaying it. I estimate eighteen months, two years at most, before the beast is completely cut off from him and incapable of interaction with him."

"Good. Losing access to its power is a steep price to pay for assured safety, but when you find a way to perform the process on other subjects without killing them it'll all be worth it." Danzo said, a minute smile tugging at the edge of his lips. "He'll need to start training, testing to see what he can achieve in the field."

"Depending on what comes back from Dr J, I might have a way." Hojo laughed.

XX ROOT Training Base, Eastern Fire Country – Seventeen Months Later XX

Naruto played with an incisor as he watched the guards patrolling, working the tooth this way and that. Like most of his teeth it was loose and the pain in him gum from his new tooth was annoying. There were three armed men patrolling the rooftop of the building across from him and the information he'd been given led him to believe there was nearly a dozen more inside.

"Intel said six, plus target." Naruto mumbled to himself as he pulled his incisor out and tossed it aside. "Always underestimating, double guards likely."

Ignoring the heavy rainfall that was soaking him to the bone, Naruto readied the retractable blades contained in his arm-guards and moved back to the far end of the roof he'd been watching from. Rolling his neck, Naruto charged forward and leapt clear across the divide. Driving his claws into the chest of the guard he'd landed on, Naruto picked his next target. Rushing towards the startled man, most likely a bandit or lowly sell-sword, Naruto ducked under the man's panicked attack and lashed out at his throat. As the third man rushed forward to find out what happened to his allies, Naruto dropped down the side of the building and flanked him.

"Saito? Kenji? Where are you?" He called out, half blind due to the heavy rain. After nearly tripping over one of them, he crouched down to check on the downed man. "K-Kenji, what happe-Gagh!"

Flicking blood from the claws, Naruto waited for the rush to wear off. After realising that breaking his spirit would be dangerous, at least as long as his coils still connected to the seal, ROOT had decided to try a cruder method of encouraging Naruto to take part in these tests. Good food and pleasurable drugs where used to reward killing and exceeding their predictions. Naruto liked being full and feeling good and pretty soon he was going out of his way to 'exceed predictions', even if it was in a bad way.

XX ROOT Headquarters, Beneath Konoha – Five Months Later XX

Danzo sat listening to the report from the squad that had overseen Naruto's latest training exercise. The boy was growing unstable and violent, the latest test proved it.

"He killed all of them again. Beheaded his target and tried to use it to startle the team sent in to find him." Danzo summarised as the squad leader left. Turning to Fu, one of his lieutenants, Danzo rubbed his temples. "What's your assessment?"

"The conditioning worked… A bit too well." Fu answered. He'd been ordered to study the boy and he knew that Danzo would act depending on his evaluation. "To test his lethality, it was addicted to killing and let loose in carefully arranged training exercises. What he failed to account for was that he'd grow to enjoy killing as much as he has. If it continues then I suspect he will become completely uncontrollable, Sir."

"Hojo thinks he can start the modification to ROOT agents by month's end… let's see if subject zero's body can speed that up." Danzo said. "Have Torune take the boy to the seal masters. They can extract the Kyuubi, store it for resealing and then send his body to Hojo."

"Understood sir." Fu acknowledged before turning and leaving.

"The body is to be pristine." Danzo ordered. Summoning another ROOT shinobi, Danzo issued instructions. "Inform Hojo and Dr J that they are to begin shipping their equipment and data to the Southern Research Facility, it will serve as a better training ground for the troops. I have a council meeting to attend, any and all matters that need my attention are to be recorded and left here for my return."

"Yes Sir." The drone drawled before departing.

XX ROOT Holding Cells, Beneath Konoha XX

Naruto sat in his cell, back against the wall, and tried to ignore the pain in his gut. His coils where all but shot to hell but that didn't stop the fox in him from trying to repair them with its own twisted chakra. Trying to bury the anger that was rising up, he had nothing to vent on, Naruto looked up when the doors to his cell opened and several of Danzo's maggots entered.

"Danzo has ordered your relocation." One dressed like an ANBU commander said. "Up."

"Where?" Naruto growled as another wave of demonic chakra tried to race through him. Shifting his vision into infrared, Naruto spotted several other ninja hidden under some kind of genjutsu or ninjutsu. Muttering under his breath, Naruto followed them out of his cell and had his suspicions that something was up confirmed when he spotted Torune. Danzo didn't send toadies for simple escort jobs. Looking Torune in the eye, and trying to get some hint of what to expect, Naruto rolled his shoulders and asked. "So, training or doctor's session?"

"Move." Torune ordered.

"Alright, I'll make a move." Naruto snarled before lashing out and blindsiding the ROOT. Twisting around Naruto snatched the tanto from one of the shinobi. Before Torune could recover the blade was driven into his skull, depriving the standard ROOT troops of leadership and adaptability. Limited by the order to keep the body pristine, and the cramped corridor, the ROOT ninja were unable to withstand the raw power and animalistic ferocity Naruto attacked with. After looting the corpses for armour and weapons, Naruto gathered all the explosive tags together and set one alight.

Retreating to his cell, Naruto took cover as the light tag detonated and triggered the others. The blast was deafening and shook the entire base. Using the smoke and confusion as cover, Naruto moved through the base killing ninja and doctor alike without any real plan. That changed when he heard a very familiar voice.

"Get me out of here! I'm too valuable to die." Hojo screamed at his ROOT guard. "Dammit, why aren't you evacuating me?"

"The facility is under attack." One of the ROOT ninja said dully. "Our orders are to seal the base until the attack has been repelled."

"To hell with your orders, get me out of here!" Hojo screamed before spotting Naruto through the chaos. "T-There! It's the boy, he's the one causing this… Kill him, kill him now!"

"Subdue the boy." The commander of Hojo's guard instructed. "Danzo wants his body preserved. Do not damage it."

Like those in the Cell Block, these ninja were forced to hold back due to their inability to go against Danzo's order to ensure the body was in pristine condition. Naruto, under no such restraint and still riding the waves of aggression the Kyuubi had imbued him with, tore through them like a demon. Using kunai and the tanto he slashed, using his feet and fists he crushed, using his teeth and nails he tore into them while they struggled to restrain or kill without doing damage.

"No… No, no ,no I can't die." Hojo whimpered before fleeing towards the labs screaming. "Someone save me! Someone save me!"

Finishing off the last of Hojo's guards with the shattered remains of the tanto, Naruto roared with rage and joy. Fashioning a makeshift club out of the leg of a table Naruto followed Hojo, clubbing any scientist he passed to death as he went.

XX ROOT Research Labs, Konoha XX  
>Dammit, dammit. Where is everyone?" Hojo whimpered as he hid beneath a work-station. "Damn you Danzo, where are you elite shinobi. Why couldn't your goons handle the boy… Dammit, dammit."<p>

As the screams of terror died down Hojo peeked out from under the table, only do duck under it again when he spotted a blood splattered blond enter. Being as silent as possible, Hojo tried to control his breathing and prayed he wasn't found. The sound of smashing glass told Hojo that Naruto has the far side of the labs, near the viewing booth. Slowly creeping out from under the work-station, Hojo rose to his feet and prepared to run.

"Hello doctor." Naruto hissed from his position on top of the work-station. After backhanding Hojo across the room, Naruto jumped over to the man and partly picked him up by his neck. "Let's talk."

"N-No, help! Help!" Hojo screamed as Naruto dragged him over to the viewing booth, stopping to grab his makeshift club along the way.

"Now, now doctor." Naruto growled as he slammed Hojo down onto an operating table. . "Hehe relax, it'll only hurt until I finish with you.

XX Forests Surrounding Konoha XX

Having raided the weapon stashes scattered throughout the base, Naruto armed himself with as many kunai and experimental collapsible spears as he could carry. After scavenging up some armour small enough to fit him, and gathering up the few scraps of artefact tech that hadn't been boxed up and shipped off, Naruto made his way to the surface and fled.

"Run, hide, plan." Naruto muttered as a soft smile struggled to form on his face. For the first time in two years he was honestly happy, he was free.

_**XXXXX**_

_**Think I'll leave it as that. If anyone's actually read Hunter's Moon, be honest, is it any better? I'm not gonna take it any further, cannibalised far too much of its already weak plot when I was thinking of Devil's Blade [that'll get a chapter or two here in the New Year], I just wanted to try and do it better.**_

_**I'm dyslexic, so please point out any mistakes in spelling or grammar [I spell things the way they do in England and Ireland, so some things may look off to Americans]. Please leave your opinion via review or send them via PM, I'd like to know what you think. Well, I think that's everything I've gotta say so, hope you enjoyed the chapter.**_

_**This is Highvalour saying bye and thanks for reading.**_


	41. Team Nightmare's Prelude To Chaos

_**Okay another chapter of Team Nightmare, you're all welcome. Gonna be a bit short since Sakura's fight is the only big thing between here and the Chunin Exam Finals themselves. So yeah this'll be Sakura's fight, which of the other competitors left faced each other [and who won their fights] and what the line-up for the finals will be. Might throw in a little bit of Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto preparing for the finals in their own ways as well if the chapter comes up short.**_

_**And to murgle, or at least whoever left a review with that instead of 'guest', thanks for correcting me with chapter 40. I didn't know infrared was lower on the Electromagnetic spectrum than visible. That's been corrected.**_

_**Like always, I really need feedback on these so I can find out what people like/dislike and so I can work out what areas I need to improve on. So please, review. Another chapter, another attempt to entertain you all. I honestly do not have anything else to add, so on with the show!**_

_**Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.**_

_**Fullmetal Alchemist belongs to Hiromu Arakawa**_

_**Devil May Cry belongs to Capcom**_

_**Venom belongs to Marvel Comics**_

_**XXXXX**_

XX Central Tower XX

"So... Is Gaara gonna be disqualified for killing that guy?" Sasuke wondered aloud as the red-headed psycho made his way up to the opposite balcony, leaving behind a bloody smear and clumps of wet sand. "I'm just asking because I was under the impression that those waivers ended once we cleared the forest."

Eh no, he won't be disqualified." Kakashi told his genin as he too tracked the crazy Suna shinobi's movements. "You see, those waivers cover everything from the beginning of the second stage of the exams up until the beginning of the third stage… Killing Misumi will affect Suna's relationship with Konoha."

While several shinobi cleaned up the worst of the mess the higher ups from Konoha glared over at Suna's sole qualifying team. Baki cursed Gaara under his breath while trying to appear apologetic while both Kankuro and Temari decided to avoid Gaara for a while, he was clearly upset about something. Gaara himself was wondering why his Mother hadn't acknowledged the blood he'd fed the sand, even if the blood was bad the spirit within him would always comment on it. The silence, so unfamiliar, was scary to Gaara and that fear caused Gaara's bloodlust to grow. Ignoring the glares from the Konoha shinobi, he as use to glares and didn't care anymore, Gaara focused on the genin of Team Kakashi.

"Mother mentioned Uchiha… The Uchiha did something… I'll kill him and get Mother back." Gaara vowed as he directed all of his bloodlust at Sasuke. Not caring that all the Konoha jonin where present and would possibly able to stop him, Gaara began trying to drag out as much of Shakaku's chakra as he could.

"Gaara enough." Baki hissed. "Remember the plan, wait one more month and you can kill all you want… Just wait one more month."

"I. Don't. Care!" Gaara snarled just before his bloodlust was snuffed out, like a candle in a hurricane. Watching the waves of Killing Intent coming from the last loyal Uchiha, Gaara caught a glimpse of a monster hidden behind the power. Frozen with fear and awe, Gaara watched the red and black beast flicker in and out of view behind Sasuke.

"Cut it out." Naruto said before punching Sasuke in the side of the head. Once the Killing Intent died down, Naruto shuck his head and sighed. "Why oh why did I have to get stuck with a wannabe thespian?"

"What? I was only having a little fun." Sasuke defended before reaching up and rubbing his ear. "What did you have to hit me for anyway?"

"Next match is up." Naruto told him with a nod towards the large screen.

"So, I don't care about either of them." Sasuke shrugged.

"be that as it may, we think if you'd continued showing off that your admirer would have fainted" Sakura told him, pointing towards Team Guy and trying not to laugh.

"Well, that or glomp you." Naruto laughed as Neji skirted past them on his way down to the arena floor. "He was breathing heavily and staring at you with wide eyes."

"Well just about everyone was." Sakura added, leaning on the railing to get a better view for the upcoming fight. "But he was panting."

"The Hyuuga's a chick." Sasuke said stubbornly. "I'm telling you, the Hyuuga's gotta be a chick."

"Neji Hyuuga is a guy." Sakura told him. "We heard him talking in the forest and several times while here. Trust us, he's a boy."

"Bullshit! There is no way on earth that that Hyuuga is a boy." Sasuke all but yelled, completely ignoring the splutters of indignation coming from said Hyuuga. "You two are trying to pull my leg but I won't fall for it, I won't."

"Let's get an outside opinion." Naruto said before making his way over to Team Kurenai. "Hey Hinata, settle something for us will you? Is your cousin a boy or a girl?"

Wither it was nervousness from Naruto being so close, confusion from the question or just lingering side-effects from Sasuke's Killing Intent, Hinata couldn't form a complete sentence to answer.

"That was an impressive dodge." Sakura muttered, having decided to ignore the argument between her teammates and focus instead on getting an idea of what a potential opponent was capable of.

"She's not impartial." Sasuke challenged once Hinata was able to squeak out 'boy'. "Hinata would side with you if you said the sun was purple."

"You just can't admit you're wrong, can you?" Naruto said in amazement as he walked back to his team.

"Nope, because I'm not." Sasuke announced smugly. "So if Neji is fighting the blond one from Suna, which means Shino has to face Sakura right?"

"Yeah, that'll be a fun fight… To watch, not to be in." Naruto laughed. Leaning against the back wall, Naruto partially up the sleeve of his coat. "I think Akamaru damaged something when he bit me, can't move my index finger."

"Hehehe, the dog did more damage than Kiba? Oh that's great." Sasuke said, trying not to laugh himself. Leaning back against the railing and looking over his shoulder, Sasuke watched the last few minutes of the match between Neji and Temari. "Oh, that's gonna hurt."

When the medics had checked on Neji, and taken him away for treatment, those present turned their attention to the large screen for the last time. It was just a formality, since Shino Aburame and Sakura Haruno were the only genin left. When their names appeared, both made their way down to the arena floor and took their places facing each other.

"Alright, the last match of these pre-lims begins… Now!" Hayate declared before retreating as fast as he could, he'd seen what the other two genin under Kakashi had done and had no intention of being near the last one when she showed whatever crazy powers she had.

Neither bothered to look at Hayate as he fled, doing so would give the other an opening. Instead they stared at one another for what seemed like an age. Then, without warning, both acted. Shino released most of his hive as a great, droning swarm while Sakura's clothing warped and morphed into her Symbiote.

"You've based yourself on some kind of spider, but it won't help you." Shino said as he directed his beetles to attack in swarms to leech her chakra. "Why? Because very few species of spider feed on beetles, but some beetles are known to eat spiders."

Smiling, Sakura relied on the same speed and agility that had challenged Orochimaru to evade the swarms. The Symbiote's ability to provide sensory data from any part of itself helped. Using her webbing to put some distance between herself and Shino, Sakura clung to the walls and laughed.

"We see why Sasuke likes toying with his opponents, it's really fun to drag things out." Sakura said as she ran her tongue along her fangs. Waving at Shino, Sakura had the Symbiote mimic her surroundings and vanish from view.

Scanning the area, Shino had his beetles fan out to try and detect her. Turning slowly, trying not to make any sounds that might mask Sakura's movements, Shino searched every part of the arena. Sensing movement, Shino lunged to the side just as Sakura's fist collided with his side and cracked several ribs. Rising slowly to his feet, Shino directed his entire hive to converge on Sakura and attack.

"We don't think so." Sakura laughed as she avoided the insects and vanished again.

"That won't work again." Shino announced the beetles zeroed in a surprised Sakura's location. "You're wondering how they found you? Simple, when you struck me I planted several females on you. They release a scent that the rest of my hive can tract, you can't hide."

"Hehehe, we aren't just the spider..." Sakura said as Shino's bugs were sucked into the Symbiote. "... We're the web as well, you can't beat us!"

"It seems I can't." Shino admitted, sounding rather bitter. "I surrender."

"Phew, the pre-lims are over." Hayate sighed before nodding to two shinobi standing off to the side. "If all who passed could gather down here, the Hokage will explain the final stage."

"You all will be fighting to show the true power of your Villages, so I ask that none hold back." The Hokage began once the nine genin had gathered, making a mental note to order Sasuke Uchiha to hold back a lot against anyone from Konoha. "The final competition will take place exactly one month from now so I invite you all to make the most of that time to prepare... Now, before you are allowed to go and prepare, there is one more thing to see to."

"Come on old man, the monologue is getting boring." Sasuke yelled out, only to get a smack from both of his teammates.

"Thank you Naruto, Sakura." Sarutobi smiled before returning to business. "Anko will now go around with a box. Inside this box there are nine sheets of numbered paper, take just one and inform us which one you get."

"Just one, got it?" Anko snapped as she offered the box to Sakura.

"Four." Sakura announced.

"Nine." Gaara muttered.

"Five." Shikamaru sighed.

"Seven." Temari called out.

"One." Hinata said.

"Three." Tenten announced.

"Eight." Naruto said, looking over at Temari and Gaara.

"Six." Choji told Anko when he picked.

"That leaves two for me, right?" Sasuke laughed before reaching in.

"Alright then." Ibiki snapped once he'd recorded the last of the numbers. "This is how it'll work, those numbers indicate which order you will be fighting in! Now, because we have an uneven number of genin one of you will be fighting first. The first match will be Hinata Hyuuga vs. Sasuke Uchiha, the winner of that match will face Tenten. After that will be Sakura Haruno and Shikamaru Nara, then Choji Akimichi vs. Temari and then the final match of round one with Naruto Uzumaki vs. Gaara."

"Now then, remember who your first opponent will be and plan well." Sarutobi said before gesturing towards the doors. "You're now free to train and prepare however you see fit."

XX Ramen Ichiraku XX

"Hi Naruto, how did your exams go?" Ayame asked once Naruto took his usual seat. "And where's Sakura and Sasuke?"

"Hey Ayame, How are you?" Naruto replied before ordering his usual. "The Chunin Exams are going well, finals are in a month's time. As for those two, no idea… Sasuke said something about a 'wicked party' at some palace and Sakura might have said she was heading home to see her parents then going somewhere else."

After finishing off a few bowls of ramen, and catching up with Ayame, Naruto made his way home. Dumping his coat and shirt on a chair, Naruto grabbed a manual on Automail repair and his tool kit. Removing his right arm, Naruto set about checking for the damage Akamaru caused.

XX The Valley Of The End XX

As he finished carving the runes into the top of the statue's head, Sasuke let out a sigh of relief. Rolling his shoulders and checking that everything was in order Sasuke smiled.

"Let's get this party started!" Sasuke yelled as he activated the portal to the Bloody Palace and vanished in a flash of light.

XX Forest Country XX

Ashina Dohaku fled for his life. The Missing-Nin from Kumo had been raiding villages and farmsteads with several bandits for weeks now and he's thought himself safe from retaliation, but he'd been wrong. Someone or something had attacked his camp and carried off all his men, their screams having carried for miles.

As he ran Ashina wondered who'd attacked them, Kumo ninja or simply bounty hunters after his head. Using chakra to boost his speed, Ashina ran faster and faster, although at that speed he couldn't stop or change direction quick enough to avoid running head first into a massive spider web.

"Hahaha, welcome to our parlour said the spider to the fly." A monstrous voice mocked as something moved in the shadows above him.

"W-What are you?!" Ashina roared as he sent a surge of lightning chakra through his body, hoping to destroy the webbing with it.

"Call us Venom!" Sakura told him as she cocooned him in webbing. "because we are poison to the likes of you!"

_**XXXXX**_

_**Like I said, New Team Nightmare up before New Year's. Bit short but I didn't want to start into the Finals at the end, save that for its own chapter.**_

_**I'm dyslexic, so please point out any mistakes in spelling or grammar [I spell things the way they do in England and Ireland, so some things may look off to Americans]. Please leave your opinion via review or send them via PM, I'd like to know what you think. Well, I think that's everything I've gotta say so, hope you enjoyed the chapter.**_

_**This is Highvalour saying bye and thanks for reading.**_


	42. Outtakes and Alternates : Team Nightmare

_**Hehe, my stories can change pretty quickly. Plotlines I've spent ages thinking up can be dropped because I thought of something else while writing the chapter... And because of that, I offer this little collection of scenes from previous chapters changed around to be closer to my original idea or just for laughs. Since it's the longest running storyline here, and as such had undergone the most revisions to the plot, I figured I'd start with everyone's favourite, Team Nightmare.**_

_**Like always, I really need feedback on these so I can find out what people like/dislike and so I can work out what areas I need to improve on. So please, review. Another chapter, another attempt to entertain you all. I honestly do not have anything else to add, so on with the show! **_

_**Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto**_

_**The Rest belongs to whoever.**_

_**XXXXX**_

_**Team Nightmare's Altered Line Up**_

XX Konoha Shinobi Academy XX

Kakashi popped his head into the classroom and got his first look at his would-be genin. Granted it wasn't the first time he'd ever seen the children, well it was his first time ever seeing Sakura. Kakashi had seen Naruto around the village, either in passing or when he'd watched the boy from afar ensuring he was okay. He'd also seen Sasuke several times but not as often. Kakashi had read the Academy reports on the trio earlier and so Kakashi could be forgiven for thinking he knew what to expect, he was wrong.

The first one Kakashi noticed was Sasuke. It appeared the boy had traded the high collared shirt and shirts for what seemed to be armour. In place of the blue shirt Sasuke wore a rough leather vest, criss-crossed with leather straps that held a heavy metal pauldron over his left shoulder. Fastened around his waist, and trailing down to cover the front of his legs, was a thick body wrap of fur, leather and metal studs. His arms were encased in a pair of gloves with rough leather around his hands and thick, crude metal covering fur protected his forearms. Resting atop a large shield beside him was a large, horned helmet. Forged from crude metal the helm would cover the upper half of the face and most of the head. Sasuke's forehead protected was tied around the boy's left bicep.

_'What the hell happened there?' _Kakashi wondered as Sasuke scraped a whetstone along the edge of a strange straight-edged sword.

Turning to his next charge, Kakashi's visible brow quirked upward. It seemed Naruto had received a make-over as well. Gone was the eye catching orange tracksuit and it it's place was a simple combo of dark green trousers and a dark green shirt. Covering his blond hair, and casting shadows over his eyes, was a striped green and white hat. Upon Noticing Kakashi, Naruto put away the small paper fan he'd been using and gave a little wave as he picked up a walking stick and poked Sasuke with it.

"Sensei's here." Naruto said when Sasuke looked up from his sword and scowled at him.

_'Calm, quiet and not wearing something that'll give me headaches... I like this change.' _Kakashi thought before he spotted his final student. "What the...?"

Instead of the four foot nine inch tall newly minted genin he'd been expecting, Kakashi found himself looking at a five and a half foot tall green skinned young woman with a physique that could only be described as 'Guy as a chick'. When trying to undo whatever little genjutsu his kunoichi student was hiding under failed Kakashi guessed it was the Transformation Technique.

"Why are you disguised as a green body-builder?" Kakashi sighed.

"What are you talking about?" Sasuke muttered as he put away his sword and picked up his helmet. "She isn't in disguised as anything."

"She isn't..." Kakashi began before trailing off. Looking between his future genin and wondering why they didn't match up to their files Kakashi groaned. "This is gonna suck, I know it."

_**XXX**_

_**Team Nightmare's Bell Test - Early Draft**_

XX Third Training Ground XX

"Hey guys, good morning!" Kakashi called as he arrived at the Third Training Ground. Under the shade of one of the larger threes, Kakashi saw two of his potential students/minions sitting. "Where's Sakura?"

"Oh, so you finally got here." Naruto said, putting away the book he'd been reading. Sasuke simply gave a lazy wave before getting up and pulling his huge sword out of the tree trunk behind him. "Ah Sakura? She was here earlier..."

"Hi Sensei!" Sakura yelled right behind Kakashi. Once again Kakashi wondered how she managed to sneak up on him. "So, when does the Survival Training start?"

"In a minute." Kakashi told her, ideally noticing how none seemed to be showing any sign of hunger... Or annoyance at him being late. "First let me explain how it it'll work."

Kakashi removed a small alarm clock from one of his pouches and set it to sound at noon. After that he set a pair of packed lunches aside. He also removed a pair of bells, trying to remember what Minato had had said when he gave the test.

"Okay, it's set for noon." Kakashi said, pointing towards the clock. "Here are two bells. Your task is to take these bells from me before the time's up! Those who don't have a bell by noon... Get no lunch. You'll be tied to one of the stumps over there and forced to watch while we eat."

"So that's why you didn't want us to eat!" Naruto pointed out.

"that's right." Kakashi said with a smile, not that anyone could notice with the mask. "Now you only have to get one bell. There are only two, so one of you will definitely be be tied to a stump. Oh and the person who doesn't take a bell fails. So at least one person is going back to the Academy."

"So take a bell, have lunch, avoid having to listen to those lectures for another year?" Sasuke summarised. "Anything else?"

"Yeah. If you want you can use shurikens and kunai." Kakashi told them. "You won't succeed unless you come at me intending to kill... Ready and GO!"

No sooner then he said go, Kakashi found himself being pulled off his feet and towards Sakura via webbing. Before he could recover form the shock of being caught so quickly his throat collided with a jet black forearm and any thought other than 'try and breath' disappeared.

As Kakashi struggled to repair his crushed windpipe with some basic medical jutsu he'd picked up over the years Sakura bend down and plucked the bells from his belt.

"We win." She said happily.

_**XXX**_

_**Team Nightmare's First Mission – Early Draft**_

XX Forest Surrounding Konoha XX

"What's your distance to the target?" Kakashi asked into his headset. He ideally wondered what the little monsters would do this time, last mission Naruto had put the client in the hospital after the little old lady who'd hired them to de-weed her garden called him a 'stupid little boy' for ripping up some herbs. The time before that Sasuke had opened fire with those 'gun' things in a crowded market after one idiot muttered 'demon' while passing Naruto. Maybe it would be Sakura this time, she hadn't cost them a mission yet. If she did mess up maybe people would start believing him whenever he said she was some kind of monster.

"Five meters! I'm ready to go!" Naruto reported back.

"As are we." Was Sakura's reply.

"Ahh, dammit! Stand still and take it like a cat!" Yelled Sasuke before a wave of blood lust and demonic power washed over the entire area.

"Huh, who know cats could move that fast." Naruto laughed.

XX Hokage's Tower XX

"Don't worry, I'm sure they'll find little Tora soon." Sarutobi said kindly, trying to calm the worrying noble before him.

"b-but poor little Tora." The Fire Diamyo's wife sobbed. "All lost and alone, so scared without mummy."

"I'm sure Tora is perfectly fine." Sarutobi said before the wall beside him suddenly developed a cat shaped hole and the woman was knocked across the room by a brown ball of terrified fur. Leaning forward slightly, Sarutobi turned and looked through the hole. Stretching from his tower in a straight line to the nearby forest, was a tiny path of destruction. Signs, windows, stalls and even masonry had been damaged or destroyed by the cat in its made dash to escape whatever monster it had encountered. Trying to suppress the smile that was threatening to split his face, Sarutobi turned to the winded woman and adopted a harsh but reasonable appearance. "You'll have to cover those damages you know."

_**XXX**_

_**Team Nightmare Is killing time in Wave**_

XX Tazuna's House XX

"So how long are we gonna be staying anyway?" Sasuke asked as he lay sprawled across the couch and sipped a beer.

"Tazuna hired us to protect him until the bridge is done." Naruto told him. "That'll be in a week or so."

"Can't you speed it up with your magic?" Sasuke whined before finishing off his drink.

"I don't know a thing about engineering, all I could do is transmute the raw material into a bridge shaped mass." Naruto said. "And it isn't magic, it's alchemy."

"Tomato, tomato." Sasuke shrugged. "And if your magic can't make the bridge, what use is it to the people here?"

"What use are you to the people here?" Naruto shot back.

"Hey, I did a serious number on the local rabbit population to feed them." Sasuke said in defence of his worth. "Can't you magic up some food?"

"It's not magic, it's alchemy." Naruto repeated. "And yes actually, I can... I'd need grass or some other organic material but I can use it to transmute something edible."

"There's a massive compost heap outside if that'll work." Sasuke said, pointing towards the back door. "And what can you make?"

"Bread's easiest." Naruto told him as the duo made their way outside.

"I don't see anyone here turning down a free loaf of bread, do you?" Sasuke asked as he held the door open for Naruto.

_**XXX**_

_**Team Nightmare Meets The Snake – Early Draft**_

XX Forty-Fourth Training Ground XX

"So..." Sasuke began as he used a combination of Tricks and Air Dashes to keep pace with the web swinging Sakura, and Naruto who was piggybacking off her. "You guys noticed it too?"

"Noticed what?" Naruto asked.

"Yes. Some time ago." Sakura hissed. "What should we do?"

"What are you two talking about?" Naruto demanded to know.

"Somebody has been following use for a while now." Sasuke told him, a broad grin on his face. "Someone strong... I'll tell you what we're gonna do, we're gonna stop and see what they want!"

The trio stopped on a particularly large branch and turned to face there pursuer. There was silence between them and no one moved, each searching for any sign of whoever it was that was tracking them. Without a word Sasuke embedded Rebellion into the tree trunk and caught a grip of Naruto.

"What are you..." Naruto began only to be silenced as a powerful burst of wind came from where they'd been watching. It would of blown him away if Sasuke hadn't anchored them both down with his sword.

"Well well, this is a surprise." Came a polite, if unnerving, voice. "I had thought myself well hidden, a sensor on the team perhaps?"

"Nope, you just suck!" Sasuke called out. "So... How are you anyway?"

"My, my, my. What has the state of this once great village fallen too, if I am not so easily recognised?" Called the voice before the speaker appeared. It was a ninja from Kusa, in his hand was an Earth Scroll. The Kusa ninja wrapped an incredibly long tongue around the scroll and swallowed it. "You wanted my scroll right? Well now, lets begin the battle for each other's scroll... With our lives on the line!"

BANG!

"What, the guy creeped me out." Sasuke explained as he holstered Ebony. "So, who's gonna go get the scroll?"

"Well it's a long way down and I'm not as nimble as you two." Naruto said with a shrug.

"Fine, we'll get it." Sakura sighed when neither moved.

_**XXX**_

_**Team Nightmare Earns Its Final Place In The Finals**_

XX Central Tower XX

"Alright, the last match of these pre-lims begins… Now!" Hayate declared before retreating, he'd seen the kind of crap Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno had done in there fights and he didn't want to be too close to the third member of Kakashi's little band of monsters.

"I'll enjoy killing you." Gaara growled as his sand levitated out of its gourd container.

"Hold that though." Naruto said before running to the wall opposite Gaara and slapping his hands against it. When his alchemy had done its job he turned back to Gaara and waved. "Please, continue."

With an unintelligible growl Gaara launched a blast of sand at the hight challenged genin. With a smirk Naruto ducked and let the sand crash into the alchemy weakened wall, shattering the surface and damaging everything inside it. As Gaara recalled his sand to try again he wondered what the metallic groaning coming from the hole meant. His answer came as the plumbing burst and water came gushing out of the hole.

"And for my next trick." Naruto laughed as he clapped then grabbed the largest pipe, using hi alchemy to make it malleable. Directing the torrent of water straight at Gaara, Naruto soaked the red headed genin and all the sand surrounding him. As the wet and heavy sand fell to the floor useless, Naruto walked up to and punched Gaara square in the jaw with his automail arm. "I'm gonna put you to sleep."

_**XXXXX**_

_**Scene 1 – the roles of Venom, Dante and Edward Elric have been replaced by She-Hulk, the Dovahkiin and Kisuke Urahara... Think of the mayhem, didn't use it though.**_

_**Scene 2 – Didn't use it as it made Kakashi look completely useless.**_

_**Scene 3 – Can't remember why I didn't use this version [Sasuke went DT instead of shooting].**_

_**Scene 4 – In Ep one of FMA Ed says he can turn grass into bread, this scene is based on that fact... Wasn't actually cut, I just forgot to include it.**_

_**Scene 5 – Changed it as, while kinda funny, it removes Orochimaru from the picture ad robs me of using him later for even funnier things.**_

_**Scene 6 – Changed as I wanted to have Naruto win due to a height rage... Can't really see Gaara making a height joke or his sand not stopping Naruto.**_

_**Next chapter of Team Nightmare, a little side chapter like Team Nightmare Induced Insanity, will be along some time in early Feb. Would be sooner but Real Life takes priority.**_

_**I'm dyslexic, so please point out any mistakes in spelling or grammar [I spell things the way they do in England and Ireland, so some things may look off to Americans]. Please leave your opinion via review or send them via PM, I'd like to know what you think. Well, I think that's everything I've gotta say so, hope you enjoyed the chapter.**_

_**This is Highvalour saying bye and thanks for reading.**_


	43. Didn't Think It Through

_**A while back myself, Chash123 and BuriedHumanity were talking over on The Infamous Man's forum, just throwing around ideas for fics, and Chash put forward the idea of a fic where Naruto is told about his heritage as an Uzumaki [long life and fuinjutsu skills]… Anyway I got a good laugh out of how I imagined a young Naruto trying to learn fuinjutsu would go. It's also how I'd imagine any attempt by Naruto to become a super badass by studying in secret all throughout his time at the Academy [like you can find in a lot of fics] would end up. I'm not bashing those kind of fics [or anyone who writes them], because there are some very good ones out there, but this is just how I see these kinds of things going.**_

_**Like always, I really need feedback on these so I can find out what people like/dislike and so I can work out what areas I need to improve on. So please, review. Another chapter, another attempt to entertain you all. I honestly do not have anything else to add, so on with the show! **_

_**Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto**_

_**XXXXX**_

XX Naruto's Apartment, Konoha XX

Young Naruto sat on the floor of his apartment with the largest grin possible plastered across his face. Earlier that day the Old Man had taken him out for ramen and told him something absolutely amazing. They'd found out something about Naruto's parents. While there was still no word on his father, Naruto's mother had come from the Land of Whirlpools and had been named Kushina. She had come from a clan renowned for their skills in the sealing arts and the Hokage was hoping that Naruto wanted to learn too.

Which is what led to Naruto sitting at the foot of his bed, surrounded by scrolls and textbooks on sealing, Naruto was willing to do anything if it gave him some kind of link to a family.

"The Old Man said if I could learn all the stuff in these scrolls, he'd let me study the Uzumaki stuff." Naruto announced to no one in particular before grabbing the nearest book and starting.

XX The Hokage's Tower, Konoha – Two Weeks Later XX

"We found the rest of him when we unsealed the scroll." 'Bear' reported, struggling to remain professional and not let what he'd seen affect him. "We did our best, but the damage was just too severe. "From preliminary analysis 'Tiger, the team's sealing expert, believes that the boy drew the storage seal incorrectly and then overloaded it with chakra. While it clearly was an accident on the boy's part, we will launch an investigation into who allowed a nine year old orphan boy unsupervised access to such powerful, and potentially dangerous, material… Standard procedure to determine if the boy was given the information with malevolent intent or if the Uzumaki boy's death was the result of negligence."

_**XXXXX**_

_**Let's face it, Naruto in the Academy could not have been trusted to try and learn anything on his own. Especially not something as potentially dangerous as Fuinjutsu. Again, not an attack on fics that do this stuff it's just how I see these plotlines ending up. It's short, it's crap and it came about because I had thirty minutes to kill over lunch.**_

_**I'm dyslexic, so please point out any mistakes in spelling or grammar [I spell things the way they do in England and Ireland, so some things may look off to Americans]. Please leave your opinion via review or send them via PM, I'd like to know what you think. Well, I think that's everything I've gotta say so, hope you enjoyed the chapter.**_

_**This is Highvalour saying bye and thanks for reading.**_


	44. Early Graduation 2

_**Follow on to chapter 31, Team Nightmare is coming don't wo**__**rry.**_

_**Like always, I really need feedback on these so I can find out what people like/dislike and so I can work out what areas I need to improve on. So please, review. Another chapter, a**__**n**__**other attempt to entertain you all. I honestly do not have anything else to add, so on with the show! **_

_**Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto**_

_**XXXXX**_

XX Roof of Konoha's Shinobi Academy, Fire Country XX

"From today you are genin!" Guy announced in his usual, over the top, manner when his three genin had arrived on the rooftop he'd directed them to. "Now, I'd like to hear your goals."

"I want to become a strong ninja." Tenten said, going first. "I want to be like the famous Tsunade."

"Sensei!" Lee yelled, raising his hand so fast he nearly hit Tenten with it. "I want to prove that I can become a great ninja even without being able to use ninjutsu or genjutsu... That is everything to me!"

"I want power..." Sasuke told them. "I want to avenge my clan."

"I see." Guy said merrily as he clapped his hands. "And I give you my word, as Konoha's Green Beast, to help you reach and exceed those goals! As your sensei it is my duty to help you fan your flames of youth!"

"Fan our what?" Tenten asked but Guy either failed to hear or decided the answer could wait as he continued his little speech.

"But before that, you must prove your fire!" Guy declared. "Meet me at Ninth Training Field in half an hour, there we will test your youthful vigour."

"Yes Guy sensei!" Lee yelled before rushing off.

"Such passion." Guy said with a large smile on his face. Turning to Sasuke and Tenten the smile grew even larger. "You'd best hurry or Lee will beat you both there."

Rising slowly once Guy had Body Flickered away, Sasuke and Tenten walked in silence back through the Academy. Leaving by the main entrance, Sasuke turned and began strolling down the street towards the training fields.

"Hem hem." Tenten mock coughed softly to catch his attention. When Sasuke turned to look at her she gave him an amused smile and pointed in the other direction. "Ninth field is that way... Thought you'd like to know."

"Hn." Sasuke huffed before walking past her and towards the training field.

"You're welcome." Tenten said dryly before following.

XX Ninth Training Field, Fire Country XX

It took less than ten minutes to reach the training field and when they arrived Sasuke sat himself down in the shade of a tree and began scanning the area for Guy. While they waited for their sensei, and their over-energetic teammate, Tenten tried to make small talk and get to know her younger teammate. That plan of action was quickly dropped however after Sasuke responded to her with his fourth consecutive 'Hn' leaving the two silence for the fifteen minutes that passed between them arriving and a very out of breath Lee joining them.

Soon afterwards Guy Body Flickered into the field and began talking in what appeared to be his normal boisterous manner.

"Well done for making it here, you've shown you wish to be shinobi." Guy said loudly, striking his 'Nice Guy' pose as he did so. "Now I will test your commitment to being a shinobi with laps!"

"Laps?" Sasuke complained. He didn't want to do laps, he wanted to train and grow stronger. Running laps wouldn't get him closer to killing That Man.

"Yes laps. But these are not any normal laps." Guy explained as he made his way over to a large pile of weights and straps. "For every five laps you complete of the training field, you must add an additional weight to yourself."

"And how many laps are we meant to do?" Tenten asked as she eyed the pile.

"Once you've all put on a harness then you can begin." Guy told them. "You are to run a circuit of this field, that's about a kilometre, stop to grab a weight and then continue… Complete this simple training exercise and you'll have proven that the flames of your youth burn strong!"

"Yeah but how many laps do you want us to do?" Tenten asked again, uneasy at what the answer would be.

"How many?" Guy repeated with a chuckle. "Well… I have to deliver some final papers to our lord the Hokage, your youthful energy should be able to hold out until I return… Right?"

"Huh, sounds easy." Sasuke said before picking up a harness.

"Yes Guy sensei!" Lee saluted before he grabbed his own harness.

"What do you know, he can talk." Tenten snorted before taking the last harness.

"Good luck." Guy told them as he prepared to leave. "And begin!"

XX Hokage's Tower, Fire Country XX

"So Kakashi, what chances do you give you students of passing the infamous bell test?" Guy asked as he and Kakashi met outside the tower.

"Mah, it's all up to them if they'll work together." Kakashi shrugged as he put away his copy of Jiraiya's masterpiece. "So it's my turn to pick, right?"

"Yes it is Kakashi, our record stands at forty-seven to forty-three in my favour" Guy laughed good naturedly. "So, how do you plan for us to face each other in competition? Will it be a test of speed? A test of strength? What shall we be doing?"

"Silence." Kakashi groaned out. "We'll be seeing who can go the longest without making any kind of noise… It's an important ninja skill."

"Very well, we shall compete in silence!" Guy yelled loud enough to leave a ringing in Kakashi's ears before falling silent.

'_Ah sweet, sweet silence.' _Kakashi thought to himself as he enjoyed his friends company minus the near deafening volume.

XX Ninth Training Field, Fire Country XX

"Huh… Huh, huh… When is Guy sensei getting back?" Tenten panted as she added another weight to her harness. The genin had been left alone almost three hours at this point and they were clearly showing the strain from doing laps.

The weights Guy had left, while fairly light individually, added up to a considerable amount but since no one wanted to fail what was clearly some kind of endurance test the trio continued on even as they reared their breaking point.

"Move." Sasuke said as he stopped at the weights. As the youngest and the smallest he was feeling the strain the most but despite his growing exhaustion the last loyal Uchiha refused to give up. As he added the next weight Sasuke recited the mantra that was getting him through this trial. "I will grow stronger, I will survive. I will get stronger, I will win."

Beginning to slowly jog the very beaten path around the training field, Sasuke soon found himself level with Lee. The older boy was hardly any better than Sasuke but refused to let that stop him, he'd vowed to be the great ninja even with his complete lack of skill in ninjutsu or genjutsu and he would do just that. The two looked at one another for a moment before they redoubled their efforts and pushed ahead.

Nearly an hour later the three newly minted genin had been reduced to slowly trodding along and leaning on each other for support, moving their legs through muscle memory and force of will, in a near zombie like state. This was the scene that Guy decided to re-enter the training field and congratulate them on passing too.

"Well done my students, if I was my hip friend Kakashi you all would have passed this test for supporting each other like that." Guy beamed as the three stopped and stared vacantly at him. Ignoring the lack of response Guy continued, striking his trademark 'Nice Guy' pose. "But I am not Kakashi, so instead I am passing you for your dedication and commitment! You continued to do the laps as the hours past, you continued to do the laps as the weight increased and your bodies cried out against continuing… You've proved you are willing to push your limits and I promise I will ensure that you do that."

"We… passed?" Lee gasped, a tiny smile on his face. Tenten joined him in letting out a cry of joy while Sasuke just smirked.

XX Woods Near Konoha, Fire Country – Two Weeks Later XX

"I hate cats." Sasuke muttered as he rubbed the scratches on his face and glared venomously at the cat Lee was struggling to keep a grip off.

"Normally I like cats but this time I agree." Tenten said as she inspected the small rips the cat had left in her shirt.

"Well done, you managed to retrieve your target." Guy said as he plucked Tora from Lee's arms. "I shall return this spirited feline to his rightful owner and meet you at the training field... And should I fail to make it to the Tower and back before you three arrive I will do four hundred laps around Konoha on my tiptoes!"

The dust kicked up by Guy's departure hadn't even settled before Sasuke and Tenten were off, both knew that if Guy did make it back before them he'd want them to do some insane training to 'improve'. Rushing after them and trying to keep up, Lee decided that he'd spend some extra time training later. Racing through the village towards the gate nearest their training field Sasuke began to pull ahead, the training and physical conditioning he'd received when he was younger giving him an advantage over his older teammates.

XX Ninth Training Field, Fire Country XX

Rushing out from the undergrowth and skidding to a halt Sasuke looked around. Smirking softly to himself at having made it he sat down to catch his breath before the sound of someone shattering training dummies caused his heart to sink.

"Ah Sasuke, you're here." Guy greeted as he beheaded a dummy with a roundhouse kick. "Where are your teammates?"

"They're coming." Sasuke said dejectedly, he'd been convinced he'd managed to arrive ahead of Guy.

"Ah here there are." Guy beamed as an axe-kick split a dummy in two. Quickly destroying the remaining dummies with a flurry of kicks and punches Guy addressed his genin. "Now Tenten, today we'll start you on the basics of weapon combat. I have several weapons you can practice with for the time being, you can pick which you want to focus on later... Lee and Sasuke, I want both of you to spar. First to knock his opponent off his feet wins the round. Keep going until I finish instructing Tenten."

"Yes sensei!" Lee yelled, causing Sasuke to wince slightly.

"Whatever." Sasuke said as he turned to face Lee and dropped into his clan's basic taijutsu stance.

As the two squared up Sasuke assessed his opponent. It was the first time since being placed on the team that Guy had ordered his students to spar with one another and so was the first time Sasuke was able to actually judge his teammate, to determine if Lee really was as bad as the chatter from the other graduating students made him out to be. While Sasuke was sizing him up Lee was doing the same. Lee knew that Sasuke came from the prestigious Uchiha clan and had, despite being a full year younger than the others, graduated in the top fifth of the group. This was his chance to see just how much his extra training over the last two weeks had paid off. After growing tired of just waiting Lee attacked with a high kick and found himself lying on his back with his ankle stinging.

"That's one to me." Sasuke smirked as Lee got back up and re-adopted his stance.

XX Ninth Training Field, Fire Country – Three Weeks later XX

Lee jumped over Sasuke's leg sweep and kicked out at the younger boy's head. Ducking slightly, Sasuke retaliated with a quick jab that Lee twisted to avoid. Putting distance between the two, Lee rushed forward to try and land a powerful punch on Sasuke but the young Uchiha side-stepped and countered. Grabbing Lee by the wrist and catching a grip of the boy's shirt Sasuke was able to use Lee's momentum to flip the larger boy head over heels to the ground.

"You just get easier and easier to beat." Sasuke scoffed as he dusted himself down.

"Lee you sure don't know when to give up, do you?" Tenten said, shaking her head at her teammate. "It's like Guy sensei says, Sasuke is a genius from the Uchiha Clan. You can't beat him."

"I'm leaving." Sasuke announced as he checked the position of the sun and then moved to gather up his equipment. "If I go now I should be able to get in some actual training before sundown."

As Lee lay there watching his teammates walk off he held in his scream of frustration. Getting up and brushing the dust and dirt from his shirt, Lee started his extra training. Falling forward he began to do a series of push-ups.

_'If I can't manage five hundred push ups then I'll do one thousand two hundred rope jumps.' _Lee thought as he neared push-up number three hundred. At number four hundred and sixty his arms gave out under him and Lee landed flat on his face. Shaking himself and getting up, Lee went to his bag and took out his skipping-rope. After taking a second to catch his breath Lee started. _'If I can't manage one thousand two hundred jumps then I'm gonna kick that post two thousand times.'_

"Lee, taking a break already?" Guy asked when Lee didn't immediately get back up after tripping over the rope.

"W-What is it Guy sensei?" Lee asked, his voice strained as he tried to hold back the sobbing. Wiping his eyes Lee started kicking the training post he'd been training besides. "If this is about me messing up on the last mission, I've trained to make sure it doesn't happen again."

"If that's true then you really are different to Sasuke." Guy said cryptically. "You aren't a genius at ninjutsu or genjutsu... You're not even a genius at taijutsu, but you are a genius! A genius with the potential and inner strength to surpass Sasuke."

"Stop trying to cheer me up." Lee snapped as he continued to kick away at the post.

"I'm not." Guy told him. "I don't have to Lee because you are a genius at hard work."

"But is that true?" Lee asked after a moment's silence. "I-I've come this far believing that if I trained twice or three times as hard as Sasuke I'd become strong... But now, I'm starting to think I'll never be able to beat a true genius. I keep challenging Sasuke, to see if my hard work pays off but it's always the same... I'm nothing to him, during missions outside the village my legs shake while he fights against bandits. I-I'm afraid, afraid that no matter how hard I try I'll never be as strong as Sasuke. What should I do Guy sensei?"

"If you don't believe in yourself, your hard work is worthless." Guy told him. "Lee, you are a lot like me... I use to lose all the time as well but now I can match and even beat the great Kakashi. You said that you want to prove that you can become a great ninja even without being able to use ninjutsu or genjutsu, didn't you?"

"Y-Yes Guy sensei." Lee nodded.

"That's a great goal." Guy said with an uncharacteristically subdued smile on his face. "It's worth working hard for... So Lee, you should believe in yourself and push forward. Become a strong man who I can look at and be proud of."

"Yes Guy sensei!" Lee yelled.

XX Ninth Training Field, Fire Country – Five Weeks later XX

Lee jumped over Sasuke's leg sweep and kicked out at the younger boy's head. Ducking slightly, Sasuke retaliated with a quick jab that Lee twisted to avoid. Putting distance between the two, Lee rushed forward to try and land a powerful punch on Sasuke but the young Uchiha side-stepped and countered. Grabbing at Lee's wrist, Sasuke planned to flip him over and win the spar but to his surprise Lee not only dodged but countered himself. Dropping low Lee kicked out and swept Sasuke's feet out from under him. Using his hands to steady and flip himself, Sasuke was back on his feet just in time for Lee's fist to collide with his face.

"Urrgh." Sasuke groaned as he lay there and tried to blink away the stars. Shaking his head and raising himself up on his elbows, Sasuke stared at Lee.

"I think that is one to me." Lee quipped before dropping back into that new style he'd begun the fight with.

_**XXXXX**_

_**Sorry for delay in posting but new course and travel have left me with really tired in the evenings and so I'm just not in the mood to write. And speaking of my course it includes a six week work placement [March 23rd to May 5th] in Toronto so don't expect anything b**__**e**__**tween those dates.**_

_**Anyway how did I do? Tenten didn't get a lot of characterisation here [just like canon rea**__**l**__**ly] but she will if I decide to continue this plot idea. Now, how were Guy and Lee? In **__**character? I had trouble writing Guy a while back and want to know if I've gotten a better grip on his character.**_

_**I'm dyslexic, so please point out any mistakes in spelling or grammar [I spell things the way they do in England and Ireland, so some things may look off to Americans]. Please leave your opinion via review or send them via PM, I'd like to know what you think. Well, I think that's everything I've gotta say so, hope you enjoyed the chapter.**_

_**This is Highvalour saying bye and thanks for reading.**_


	45. Team Nightmare Is Discussed

_**Well, here's the filler chapter for Team Nightmare I promised. It's just Akatsuki reacting to the rumours surrounding Kakashi's little bundles of terror. Depending on how long it runs, might tack on three little scenes showing Team Nightmare two weeks into their 'training'.**_

_**Like always, I really need feedback on these so I can find out what people like/dislike and so I can work out what areas I need to improve on. So please, review. Another chapter, another attempt to entertain you all. I honestly do not have anything else to add, so on with the show! **_

_**Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto**_

_**Fullmetal Alchemist belongs to Hiromu Arakawa**_

_**Devil May Cry belongs to Capcom**_

_**Venom belongs to Marvel Comics**_

_**XXXXX**_

XX Akatsuki Hideout, River Country XX

As the eight active members of the Akatsuki organisation faded into existence those who were at least civil to each other shared quick nods by way of greeting. Scanning the area, and noticing that Kakuzu was without a partner, Deidara shook his head and drew Sasori's attention to the now vacant spot in their membership.

"Huh… All of us meeting together like this." Kakuzu growled.

"We haven't done this in seven years." Sasori noted boredom evident in his voice. "Not since Orochimaru left the 'Organisation'."

"What's up?" Kisame asked hoping they were going to be involved in a war somewhere, he wanted to really cut loose.

"SoMeThInG hAs CoMe Up In ReLaTiOn To ThE kYuUbI." Zetsu's black half told them before his other half cut in.

"Yeah, hehe, it seems we've been misled." White Zetsu laughed before focusing his stare on Itachi. "Well, confess!"

"I have no idea what you are talking about." Itachi replied stoically.

"YoUr BrOtHeR." Black Zetsu explained. "He Is JiNcHuUrIkI!"

"You have a brother?" Kisame asked in surprise, somewhat hurt that Itachi hadn't shared that little fact with him before. "How come you never said so?"

"My little brother is of no consequence, so I saw no reason to." Itachi said, proving he was a master actor by controlling his confusion, worry and fear so as not to show any. "He is no jinchuuriki… He is nothing."

"ThAt EpiSoDe In ThE fOrEsT oF dEaTh BeGs To DiFfEr." Black Zetsu challenged before letting his white half continue.

"Yeah, we saw him rampage after losing control." White Zetsu said as he nodded vigorously in agreement with the black half. "He tore through everything in his way, all red and black and leaking demonic power… Oh, it was so scary."

"StOp ThAt." Black Zetsu snapped as he grabbed his head to stop it bobbing. "YoU lIeD iTaChI!"

"Your information is faulty." Itachi told them. "Sasuke is not the host to the Kyuubi."

"Sasuke?" Kisame repeated while scratching his chin. "Where have I heard that name before?"

"He was named after Sasuke Sarutobi, father to the current Hokage." Itachi said. "Perhaps that's who you've heard about?"

"Nope, was about something else." Kisame muttered while he racked his brains trying to remember, he was pretty sure it was important.

"So the Kyuubi is contained within a host blessed with the sharingan?" Sasori said, entering the conversation. "That is worrying, the sharingan is one of the few things that can control the beast… The boy's control could be near perfect."

"Nope." White Zetsu laughed. "The littlest Uchiha went completely bonkers and ran amok, killing things."

"Naruto Uzumaki is the Kyuubi jinchuuriki." Pain cut in, his voice as cold and dead as the body he spoke through. "What you saw was something else."

"But... But he was powerful, red and black, leaked inhuman power and was feral. Those are signs of untrained jinchuuriki." White Zetsu whined in annoyance at the others doubting him and Black.

"I have it on good authority that Uzumaki is still host." Pain said, ending the matter. "But this new power you saw is worrying… The Uchiha is a teammate of our target, and Itachi's brother. His presence may compromise a successful capture."

"Maybe he's a pseudo-jinchuuriki?" Kakuazu offered. "Another like the one reports say resides at the Fire Temple."

"Konoha's building a Bijuu powered army?!" Deidara gasped.

"Such a course of action would not fit with the Hokage's beliefs." Konan spoke out, startling Deidara who'd forgotten she was present.

"No, but he's not the only power in Konoha." Pain said, fists clenched at something almost resembling anger in his voice.

"Danzo Shimura?" Kakuzu asked. "From what I heard, sounds like something he'd do."

"Indeed." Pain agreed before turning back to Zetsu. "What of the jinchuuriki? What are his abilities?"

"EaRtH mAnIpUlAtIoN. BeYoNd AnYtHiNg I'vE eVeR sEeN." Was Black Zetsu's simple report.

"Yeah, he can even make metal out of dirt and use the ground to repair stuff." White Zetsu said. "Really cool, loads of lightning when he does it too."

"I've never heard of earth jutsu that could make metal… Or produced lightning." Deidara mused.

"Anything else?" Konan asked when neither Zetsu spoke.

"ThE gIrL, sHe'S sTrOnG." Black Zetsu reported. "A jUtSu, MaKeS hEr TuRn BlAcK aNd InCrEaSes hEr AbIlItIeS."

"Yeah, might be that kinjutsu the Tsuchigumo clan have." White Zetsu added. "Markings on her chest and back look like their crest."

"Momochi!" Kisame yelled, drawing everyone's attention to him.

"What about him?" Kakuzu asked in the hopes of catching a clue to the Missing Ninja's whereabouts, his bounty was pretty high.

"That's where I heard the name Sasuke." Kisame explained. "I was talking to Momochi not long ago, Leader over there wanted to see if he could be persuaded into joining, and I asked where his sword was… He answered that he lost it against a trio of monsters being chaperoned by the legendary Kakashi Hatake himself. I think it's the same team as our target."

"Sasuke face Zabuza Momochi and live? Unlikely." Itachi said bluntly, the last report he'd gotten on his brother had included the younger Uchiha's academy grades and they were not the grades of someone who'd survive against the Demon of The Bloody Mist.

"He didn't just face him, he forced Momochi to break off from their sword fight." Kisame corrected, eliciting several gasps from those present. "Yeah and that's not all. Momochi said the boy could regenerate. Not some medical jutsu but properly undo any damage he took instantly… Compared him to the old stories about Hashirama Senju."

"Did Momochi say anything about the jinchuuriki?" Pain asked as he was far more interested in data about the target.

"Yeah, said the kid goes ape-shit if you call him a 'little shit'." Kisame laughed.

"Would Zabuza Momochi be receptive to an invitation to join Akatsuki?" Konan asked as she eyed the empty spot where Kakazu's partner should have stood.

"If we're going anywhere near that team I doubt it." Kisame snorted. "In fact I think just going anywhere near Konoha will be enough to make him turn us down."

"I see, then no need to bother him if he doesn't wish to join." Pain said, eliciting a 'what the fuck?' from Deidara. "Zetsu, focus you attention on the Kyuubi jinchuuriki and its teammates. Kakazu, make your way to our base in Lightning Country to meet your new teammate. The rest of you, continue with your assigned tasks."

After the projections of the other Akatsuki members flickered and faded Pain and Konan turned to the shadows and the cave's only physical inhabitant.

"Things are getting interesting." 'Madara' noted as he emerged from the darkness. "Pay close attention to Konoha and the Uzumaki boy."

"Does this impact on our plans?" Pain asked.

"Not at the moment… We'll have to wait and see." 'Madara' said as he stepped back into the shadows. "Kisame said Momochi, correct? I think I shall have a talk with the master of Silent Killing, see what I can learn."

_**XXXXX**_

_**Over one thousand words is good for a filler chapter, so I'll hold off on what Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura are up to for now.**_

_**I'm dyslexic, so please point out any mistakes in spelling or grammar [I spell things the way they do in England and Ireland, so some things may look off to Americans]. Please leave your opinion via review or send them via PM, I'd like to know what you think. Well, I think that's everything I've gotta say so, hope you enjoyed the chapter.**_

_**This is Highvalour saying bye and thanks for reading.**_


	46. The Straight And Arrow Path

_**Back in chapter 38 I explored the first backstory for my Naruto/DC crossover, with Neji, and since then I've been devoting some time to developing the world a little more. Decided to do this little one-shot to kill two birds with one stone, work on my writing ability in relation to archers and to experiment with some of the backstory I plan to give Sasuke in the crossover. Since Sasuke is one of two characters in canon to use a bow, the other being Kidomaru, I figured he'd be a good place to practice and it would also let me polish off a few rough ideas I have that will end up making Sasuke Ninjaverse Batman… And in relation to the basic plotlines I poked fun at in chapter 43, note that he does in fact get people to teach him the basics [which if it occurred in all those 'Naruto studied in secret at the academy' fics would make them a lot better in my opinion].**_

_**Like always, I really need feedback on these so I can find out what people like/dislike and so I can work out what areas I need to improve on. So please, review. Another chapter, another attempt to entertain you all. I honestly do not have anything else to add, so on with the show! **_

_**Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto**_

_**XXXXX**_

XX Fugaku and Mikoto's Home, Konoha XX

Sasuke just stood in at the door to the main room, his eyes locked on the centre of the floor. The Hokage had arranged for the entire compound to be cleaned and the blood stains washed away but Sasuke still remembered where each and every splatter had been. That was why he wouldn't, couldn't stay in his parent's home. That was why he, like many of Konoha's orphans, was going to spend time with a carer until he could learn how to look after himself.

"Are you alright Sasuke?" Tanomoshii asked from his position at the front door. The Hokage had introduced Sasuke to the older man the day before and said that Tanomoshii would be overseeing the assets of his clan until Sasuke was old enough to handle it himself. Tanomoshii would be handling things like arranging who is permitted to take over the running of the clan's forges and other businesses.

"Yes." Sasuke said emotionlessly as he turned away and made his way down to his room… What use been his room.

Pushing the door open and entering Sasuke made straight for his wardrobe and collected his clothes, his training weapons and his academy supplies. After dumping them into a pair of large bags and leaving them by the doorway Sasuke looked around, looking for anything else he wanted to take with him. The photos with his family brought back memories too painful to deal with, his old toys and games seemed childish and beneath him now and the story books he'd enjoyed held no more wonder.

'_Tanomoshii can put the rest in storage.' _Sasuke thought as he turned to leave just before spotting something lying in the corner. It was his bow, that silly little toy his uncle had bought him one year and thought him to use as a joke. It lay there, where he'd dumped it after he'd messed up trying to help Itac… trying to help 'That Man' capture a rampaging boar. _'He said I needed to train more.' "_I'll train, I'll train every day and when I see you again brother… I won't miss."

Adding his bow and arrows to the small, but growing, pile of things he would be taking with him Sasuke made his way down to his parent's room. He didn't really plan to take anything, he just wanted to make sure the room was neat and tidy before leaving. As he moved about a few things, pictures and little ornaments, which were out of place Sasuke came across a panel that was loose and sat ajar. Prying it loose, Sasuke found a collection of writings and scrolls by or about someone named Madara. Most detailed battles and duels fought by this Madara while a few had to do with the clan during the period predating the founding of the village. Scanning the reports Sasuke found that two words kept cropping up when he checked to see who the clan had been battling.

"Samurai, Senju, Senju, samurai, Senju." Sasuke read aloud as he went through each and every battle report. One of the longest, and bitterest, had been directed at the Samurai who'd dwelt in the arid lands to the west. Reading the scroll Sasuke learned of one of the most crushing defeats his clan had ever suffered. "The samurai had chosen that barren strip of land to face us because it took away one of our greatest advantages, protection. Out in the open desert, on that blasted sand, we were sitting ducks for the hundreds of archers they'd fielded. They didn't even need their swords to force us back with more than half my clan mates dead or wounded."

Deciding to take the scrolls, as the defeats his clan had suffered could expose flaws in the sharingan that could be exploited, Sasuke gathered them together and checked behind the panel in case he missed any. Spotting something hidden deep in the hidden compartment Sasuke crawled in to retrieve it. When he emerged back into the light Sasuke saw that it was a large, and considerably ornate, scroll. Opening the scroll, Sasuke found an inscription.

_In recognition of the end to our ancient bloodline's feud, and the _

_peace it shall bring, we the Uzumaki of Uzushio, off this scroll as_

_the first of many gift to our distant kin the Uchiha. May the_

_peace and village you have formed with our cousins the_

_Senju last until the moon turns red._

Unfurling the scroll further Sasuke found that it detailed dozens of seals and the instructions on how to craft them. Taking everything back to his room and storing those about his clan and Madara in the bags Sasuke carried his bow and the ornate scroll to the front door.

"Are you ready Sasuke?" Tanomoshii asked as he opened the front door for the last loyal Uchiha. When Sasuke didn't answer Tanomoshii tried again to start some form of conversation. "Is that all you want to take?"

"No, there are bags by my room." Sasuke told him before stepping outside and past the pair of chunin that had been sent to help if possible.

"Which I'm sure these two young shinobi will be glad to carry." Tanomoshii laughed before nodding to the pair. When the pair returned with the bags Tanomoshii closed and sealed the house shut. As he lead Sasuke away from his home Tanomoshii tried one more time to get the boy to talk. "I didn't know you practiced kyujutsu, have you been studying it long?"

"My uncle taught me." Sasuke said, clearly uncomfortable talking about family members before lapsing into an even deeper silence.

"Ah, I see." Tanomoshii said as he mentally kicked himself for bringing it up. "And the scroll, what's that?"

"A fuinjutsu scroll, I plan to learn." Sasuke told him after a moment. "Who in Konoha can teach me?"

"Well the most talented fuinjutsu user the village ever produced was Minato Namikaze, our Fourth Hokage, but he wouldn't be much use as a teacher." Tanomoshii joked. "Jiraiya, one of the Legendary Sannin, is the best seal master alive but he isn't in the village much these days."

"I don't care about fuinjutsu practitioners the village has produced, I care about someone who can teach me." Sasuke snapped.

"Well I'm sure we could find you tutors, what area of fuinjutsu are you interested in?" Tanomoshii asked in a calm tone. "What types of seals are detailed on the scroll?"

"I don't know just that they came from some clan called Uzumaki." Sasuke answered before realising that he knew that surname from somewhere.

"Uzumaki seals?" Tanomoshii repeated in surprise. "Well that is something, the Uzumaki clan was hailed as the greatest users of fuinjutsu the world had ever seen. What you have there could very well be worth a small fortune to those interested in the sealing arts."

XX Sixth Training Field, Konoha- Six Months Later XX 

"It is rare to meet an Uchiha interested in the sealing arts." Kateikyoushi Sarutobi said as he stepped out onto the training field, cursing the boy for using such a distant field for practice. Said boy just gave a quick glance before returning his attention to the target at the far side of the field and fired an arrow. "Even rarer than an Uchiha youngster who trained with the bow, I thought only your elders practiced kyujutsu in their twilight years?"

"My uncle taught me." Sasuke answered before walking to the target and retrieving his arrows. When he'd gathered up the arrows and packed away his bow Sasuke pulled out the scroll that had come from the Uzumaki. "You're who the Hokage sent?"

"Yes, I am the foremost fuinjutsu expert in the Sarutobi clan. My name is Kateikyoushi." Kateikyoushi introduced himself with a slight nod of the head. "I take it those are the Uzumaki seals that you want to learn?"

"Yeah, can you teach me?" Sasuke asked bluntly as he shoved the scroll into Kateikyoushi's hands.

"Careful boy." Kateikyoushi chastised as he tried to steady himself and examine the scroll at the same time. "After the destruction of Uzushio any recorded seals by the Uzumaki became near priceless... And such a large, detailed scroll is a treasure."

"Well you can keep it when I know everything on it on top of the fees." Sasuke snapped. "That is, if you can teach me."

"My boy, I studied under Lady Mito herself. I tutored Jiraiya as a favour to my cousin Hiruzen and with such a fine sample of Uzumaki work I will see you proclaimed a master if it is the last thing I do." Kateikyoushi swore. "And speaking of fees, I am curious how a child is able to afford the cost of an A-rank mission."

"With everyone else dea... With my clan gone, I inherited everything." Sasuke said, his jaws clenching momentarily when he almost said the word dead. "I told Tanomoshii to take whatever it costs to pay for tutors out of that... Seems right their money pay so I can kill Ita... So I can kill 'him'."

"I see. Well it does make sense as you are their next of kin." Kateikyoushi nodded before rolling up the scroll and turning. "Come. As nice as this training field is, it is far from a suitable place to study fuinjutsu."

"Where are we going?" Sasuke demanded to know, shouldering his bow and quiver before following.

"ANBU headquarters." Kateikyoushi replied. "I have arranged for a room to be held for our sessions and its walls are thick enough that should you make a fatal error during a lesson no one else is likely to be killed but us."

XX ANBU Headquarters, Konoha XX 

After being told by the guards at the gate to store all weapons and unauthorised items in a scroll that the guards would hold onto Sasuke and Kateikyoushi wandered through the labyrinth of halls and passages that made up the ANBU HQ. After what felt like an age Kateikyoushi led Sasuke into a small chamber. Inside the chamber was a pair of small desks, two chairs and a few old lanterns. Sitting himself at the smaller of the desks, but the one with the larger and comfier chair, Kateikyoushi started to speak.

"One of the most important aspects of fuinjutsu is clear penmanship. One wrong mark and your seal could fail. One extra mark and that explosive tag you've just crafted detonates a moment after completion or your storage seal rips you in half and seals part of you away instantly." Kateikyoushi began a he pointed to a high pile of pages and a simple pen. "Using those pages you will copy the pattern I shall engrave on the wall behind me, successfully craft it a dozen times and we shall begin the next step of your studies."

"No, teach me what's in the scroll." Sasuke said defiantly. He didn't want to practice calligraphy he wanted to learn skills that he was pretty sure That Man didn't know.

"No." Kateikyoushi said calmly while flooding the room with Killing intent. "I will not. You are paying me to teach you how to craft and create seals that will serve you in your quest for vengeance, not to assist your suicide by stupidity. If you truly wish to learn the secrets contained in this scroll you shall train properly or you shall die in a bloody, if somewhat karmic, manner. Now, copy the pattern I shall engrave."

"F-fine." Sasuke hissed through his teeth once Kateikyoushi's Killing Intent faded. When they pattern was up and all the lanterns lit Sasuke began to quickly jot down something similar to the pattern.

"Think of it like kyujutsu." Kateikyoushi said as he resisted the urge to walk over and smack the Uchiha. "If you rush and let emotion cloud your thoughts you will miss your mark. If you are calm, if you focus and take your time then you will succeed. Apply the concept of one to the other and the discipline of the other to the one."

"Apply one to the other." Sasuke muttered before zoning out.

"Focus is an important aspect of both fuinjutsu and kyujutsu." Kateikyoushi said happily as the back of his hand made a lovely 'twat' sound when it stuck the back of Sasuke's head.

"R-Right." Sasuke apologised as he started copying the pattern as best he could, if his plan was to work then he'd need to get really good at fuinjutsu.

XX Third Training Ground, Konoha – Three And A Half Years Later XX

Once Kakashi started their training Sasuke and Sakura rushed off in different and hid. Checking on his opponent, Sasuke unsealed his bow and a quiver of arrows. Strapping the quiver to his back, and checking that the chakra spike involved in unsealing his gear hadn't given himself away, Sasuke crept forward on the tree branch he'd hidden on and observed as that fool Naruto tried to take on a jonin head on. Once Kakashi rammed his fingers up Naruto's butt and propelled the genin into a nearby river Sasuke knew he was dealing with idiots and decided to finish it.

Choosing an arrow, and checking the seals along its shaft, Sasuke cocked his bow. But before he could take aim and fire nine Narutos came bursting out of the river and rushed Kakashi.

"What the…?" Sasuke muttered as another Naruto appeared behind Kakashi and caught a hold of him, holding him in place while the others rushed forward. Smirking and nodding with approval Sasuke gave his opinion on the move. "Nice plan Naruto, there might be hope for you yet."

Although having said that Sasuke was forced to revaluate his views when Kakashi used the Replacement Jutsu to swap with one of the Narutos and then disappear. The resulting fight would have been amusing to watch if all those involved hadn't theoretically been on Sasuke's side. When Naruto got caught in an obvious trap, Sasuke gave up all hope for him.

"He's open." Sasuke whispered before firing his arrow. The arrow caught Kakashi square between his shoulder blades and would have downed him had he not switched again. "Shit he left himself open on purpose… Gotta move and find another hiding place."

Leaping from his hiding place Sasuke fired off one quick arrow to free Naruto, he may be a fool but at the very least he could act as a distraction.

'_So, that's where he was hiding…" _Kakashi thought as Sasuke rushed off into the woodlands surrounding the training field. Reaching up and over his shoulder Kakashi rubbed the centre of his flak jacket's Uzumaki symbol, noting the slight puncture mark._ '… Those things are deceptively fast.'_

Woodlands Surrounding Third Training Ground, Konoha XX

"AHHH!"

"That scream… Sakura is down." Sasuke noted once the ear splitting scream ended. Readying an arrow, and straining his ears, Sasuke tried to detect Kakashi. "I'm not the same as them, I won't be beaten so easily."

"Say that after you get a bell, Sasuke." A voice called out from behind.

Whipping around and firing an arrow, Sasuke let out a small gasp when Kakashi reached up and caught the arrow in mid-air. Without even looking up from his book Kakashi began to twirl the arrow around absentmindedly.

"Now Sasuke that little bow of yours is novel but novel doesn't mean useful." Kakashi mocked.

"Maybe, but useful doesn't have to be apparent." Sasuke countered before touching a spot on his bow's upper limb. "Boom!"

Kakashi barely had time to drop the arrow and Body Flicker away before it detonated. Reaching into a pouch and pulling out a pair of dark goggles Sasuke quickly put them on to protect his eyes from any dust or debris.

"Now, now Sasuke that was dangerous." Kakashi chastised from underneath a nearby tree. While he appeared calm Kakashi was actually trying to work out how Sasuke had hidden an explosive note on the arrow without him noticing it. "You could have hurt my hand with that."

"Actually the blast would have killed you." Sasuke corrected as he readied another arrow. "You did say to come at you intending to kill, remember?"

"Hehe, that I did… Although I didn't actually think any of you would really try and kill me." Kakashi admitted with a barely noticeable smile. "So, you like weapons? Well that's okay, I had planned to run through ninjutsu lesson 101 with you but I guess I'll run through bukijutsu with you."

Sasuke's eyes could barely track Kakashi's hand as he drew and launched off half a dozen shuriken**. **Lunging to the side Sasuke drew and fired another arrow, although this time he detonated it in between himself and Kakashi to create a crude smokescreen.

"Nice try Sasuke." Kakashi laughed from behind before lazily swinging a kunai at the genin. Ducking under the attack, Sasuke drew another arrow but instead tried to stab Kakashi with it. Deflecting the arrow Kakashi adjusted his grip on the kunai and struck Sasuke square centre on the forehead with the back of it.

Wincing from the blow, Sasuke jumped back to give himself some room. Glaring at the one-eyed jonin Sasuke quickly formulated a new plan and began to rapidly fire off arrows at Kakashi.

"Nice try Sasuke but if you don't aim you won't hit me." Kakashi said as he casually dodged each arrow, although he made sure to avoid standing too close to any in case they detonated. "How many arrows have you left anyway?"

"Enough." Sasuke yelled before diving for cover and activating several seals attached to each arrow.

"What the…?" Kakashi wondered before each arrow spawned a dozen senbon just before detonating and firing the long metal needles at high speed in all directions. "… Crap."

When his ears had stopped ringing from the multiple explosions Sasuke peeked out from the large rock he'd taken cover behind. The area was pockmarked with small craters and shards of senbon from Sasuke's last technique.

"Interesting, you aren't using tags." Kakashi noted as he snatched Sasuke's bow from him and quickly bound him to a tree with ninja wire. "You etched several seals onto each arrow and control them with the triggers etched onto the bow… Very impressive, time consuming but impressive."

"Give that back." Sasuke snarled as he struggled against the wire.

"Nope." Kakashi laughed before tossing the bow away and heading off in search of the others.

_**XXXXX**_

_**Well, thoughts? Do you guys think I did a good job of describing someone fighting with a bow against a shinobi? Do you guys think Sasuke paying for training could have happened? If you swap most uses of bow with kunai/shuriken you'll have Shinobi Comics!Sasuke's training up there… Goggles are important, even if I didn't mention it here, as they shield the eyes from damage and can also be used to hide the fact that Sasuke [or in Shinobi Comics Neji] has a Dojutsu leaving him with the element of surprise.**_

_**I'm dyslexic, so please point out any mistakes in spelling or grammar [I spell things the way they do in England and Ireland, so some things may look off to Americans]. Please leave your opinion via review or send them via PM, I'd like to know what you think. Well, I think that's everything I've gotta say so, hope you enjoyed the chapter.**_

_**This is Highvalour saying bye and thanks for reading.**_


	47. Random Scenes

_**Just a random collection of little scenes. For the most part these aren't even worth giving them an individual chapter so I decided to lump them together. Some are orphaned scenes from ideas that I thought up but latter decided against, some are early drafts for stuff that'll come up at a later point and at least one is just something I thought up while half asleep on the bus over the last week or so. Most will be here without context or comment from me, have fun coming up with making up how these scenes came about.**_

_**Like always, I really need feedback on these so I can find out what people like/dislike and so I can work out what areas I need to improve on. So please, review. Another chapter, another attempt to entertain you all. I honestly do not have anything else to add, so on with the show! **_

_**Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto**_

_**The Rest belongs to whomever.**_

_**XXXXX**_

XX Near Cottonwood Cove, Eastern Mojave – 2281 XX  
>Skirting along the canyon overlooking Cottonwood Cove, two figures moved silently in the pre-dawn dim. Both moved with a poise and grace that only comes from training and experience. The pair, dressed in a mix-match of old leather and crudely stitched cloth, had been sent by the NCR to deal with the Cove's Legion commander. Finding a good spot to observe from they paused and planned for their assassination.<p>

"I say we camp out and drop him with the rifle." Sasuke Uchiha whispered while blowing onto his hands to warm them. "I think I still have one of those armour rounds left."

"They'll hear." Hinata Hyuuga hissed while rubbing her bare arms. "Better to sneak in and deal with him before he's up."

"Dogs." Sasuke countered as he took note of the goose bumps rising on his partner's arms. "Besides from up here we could be long gone before they can retaliate."

"Fine we'll do it your way." Hinata muttered. "Let's settle down and wait for him."

"That door doesn't look too thick, I was thinking we just drop him now and get the hell out of here." Sasuke said as he readied the anti-materiel rifle he'd taken from a high ranking trooper's corpse. "If we grit and bare it, he could be dead and we on our way in five minutes."

"I hate you." Hinata said bluntly before both began the painful process of pumping chakra through their damaged chakra coils, activating their respective Dojutsu. Focusing her sight on the main building and filtering away the walls Hinata tracked the movements of Aurelius of Phoenix and waiting for him to move near the metal door. "Focus just below the window set in the door."

"Got it." Sasuke grunted was the pressure behind his eyes grew. Swapping out the magazine of standard .50 caliber rounds for the magazine containing the last two Armour-Piercing rounds, Sasuke lining up his shot on the door. "Say when."

"Wait for it." Hinata told him as she followed the centurion's movement around his quarters. Diverting her gaze to Sasuke for a moment, Hinata began to wonder if she'd be able to cripple him after the shot was fired of if he'd be able to fight her off.

"Don't even think about it." Sasuke remarked offhandedly, his eye never leaving the scope. "Even if you could beat me, you'd be far too injured to escape before those woman hating bastards got up here and caught you."

"It'd be worth it." Hinata muttered before returning her attention to Aurelius. Eight months ago Hinata wouldn't have ever considered something remotely close to leaving Sasuke for dead but the strain of the Shinobi War, the memories of friends she'd lost and having to put up with Sasuke since they'd been warped away to this hellish place had taken its toll on her kindness and peaceful nature. "Now!"

BOOM!

"Done, he's down." Hinata yelped as she got up and rushed off.

"Great." Sasuke sighed as he let his sharingan fade away and slung the rifle over his should. Sparing one last glance over his shoulder at the Legion Camp he took off after Hinata.

_**XXXXX**_

XX An Abandoned Shack, River Country XX

Ashina Dohaku, Missing-Nin of Kumo, groaned as he regained consciousness. The fact that he'd woken up at all told him it wasn't his old friends from Kumo that had found him, although if that was a good thing or not still wasn't clear. Noting that he was bound with wire, and that attempts to move his neck caused sharp pains, Ashina began assessing his options. He was being held in some run-down shack somewhere near running water. From the faint scent of sawdust in the air Ashina was deduced he was being held at a mill of some kind. Trying to move his wrists, Ashina felt a piercing pain shoot through his back.

"Don't bother trying." A voice called from the gloom off to Ashina's left. The voice was high and obviously belonged to a child, something that helped narrow down which of the villages had captured him. "The wire is of the highest quality and on top of that the senbon I've driven into your neck and spine are pressing on important nerve clusters, you aren't going anyway."

"Whatever you want, you can go spit." Ashina sneered as he tried to mould his chakra but found himself unable to tap into it. Gulping and starting to feel worried Ashina turned his head, ignoring the intense pain from the senbon, to look at his captor.

"Noticed you can't mould chakra?" The voice asked as the speaker stepped out from the gloom and into the weak moonlight peeking through a window. As Ashina thought he was dealing with a child but one wearing an animal-theme mask of Konoha. The boy looked to be about four foot four and around sixty pounds, although the dark grey travel cloak he wore made it difficult to judge correctly. "Who hired you to steal from the Uzumaki temple?"

"Don't know what you're talking about." Ashina said with an attempted shrug that quickly became a wince of pain.

"You're a poor liar." The kid told Ashina as he crouched down a foot or so away. This close the boy's mask became discernible. As opposed to the traditional white porcelain the boy wore a grey mask without any markings, although the area around the nose was raised and rippled. "Now, before I move from questioning to torture, who hired you?"

"You got a name kid?" Ashina asked while he tried to come up with a way to escape.

"Call me… 'Koumori'." The boy shrugged. "Now, have about you give me a name?"

"Ashina Dohaku." Ashina joked with a toothy smile although that smile was cut short when 'Koumori's' fist collided with his face and shattered most of his teeth. Spitting out blood and fragments, Ashina stared defiantly into the boy's lens covered eyes. "First job, is it?"

"I've got about eighty pounds in weights in a scroll and the river outside is rather deep." 'Koumori' said as he retrieved ninja-wire from beneath his cloak. "Talk or swim, up to you."

"Go ahead, I dare you." Ashina spat.

"Fine, my team mates are tracking those mercs you worked with." 'Koumori' sighed before kicking Ashina onto his side and then grabbing him by the ankles. "They'll break them and we'll get the name… Only difference is now I have to contact my superiors to arrange a pick up for your corpse. Kumo has a bounty on your head, it isn't much but maybe it'll at least cover the cost of the equipment I've used on you so far."

"What do you mean now you'll be arranging a pick up?" Ashina asked. "You caught me and ANBU don't look kindly on missing-ninja."

"No, but my superiors dislike Kumo more." 'Koumori' shrugged as he began to drag Ashina towards the doorway. "And the cost of paying your bounty is probably less than the trouble having a missing-ninja from Kumo running around and dragging their Village's name through the mud… My orders where to get the name of whoever hired you and then go after them, your faith wasn't really brought up in the briefing.

"You're lying." Ashina challenged.

"What's the point? You're small fry, killing you would be a waste of a blade." 'Koumori' laughed before unsealing several weights and beginning to tie them to Ashina. "But then again I'm gonna drown you, so I won't have to dispose of any evidence afterwards."

"I-If I tell you, you'll let me go?" Ashina asked, eying the river and realising the kid was serious.

"I won't kill you, you have my word." 'Koumori' said as he positioned himself so that he could kick Ashina into the river.

"O-Okay, okay… It was Gato, the operator of Gato Company." Ashina whimpered when 'Koumori's' foot came to rest on his ribs and began to push slightly. "H-He has an obsession with those old Uzumaki… He's been spending a small fortune gathering up everything he can; scrolls, artefacts, artwork, you name it he wants it."

"Gato eh? Thanks." 'Koumori' nodded before raising his foot up off Ashina and then stamping down on the side of the bound man's head, knocking him out again.

_**XXXXX**_

XX Woodlands Surrounding Third Training Ground, Konoha XX

"So… What is it?" Naruto asked as he and his team gathered around the strange object that had just appeared in a flash of blue not far from their training grounds.

"How should I know?" Sasuke snorted once he realised that Naruto was looking to him for an answer.

"Where'd it come from then?" Naruto wondered as he nudged the strange metal object with his foot.

While the team had been training, the events of Wave having shaken Kakashi enough that he now told them to train on occasion, a bright blue light had flashed off nearby accompanied by a loud boom. When they'd gone to investigate Team Seven had found a patch of scorched earth, a heavy metallic scent in the air and a strange metal object lying on the ground. It seemed to be a collection of metal tubes and boxes fused together with a two short barrels at one end and a crossbow-esk trigger at the other.

"I've never seen anything like this." Sakura said as she gently picked the strange object around in her hands.

"Neither have I so let's leave it until we can get the experts out." Kakashi cut in, eyeing the object with suspicion.

"Relax sensei, I don't see how it could be dangerous." Sakura said just as her finger brushed the hair trigger of the M-27 Scimitar she was carrying and caused it to fire off a blast that took a chunk out of a nearby tree trunk.

_**XXXXX**_

_**Three little scenes floating about in the crap I call a brain. That's all I'm typing, the other ideas in my head are better off there for the time being since they make even less sense than what I've given you guys here… And what I've given you doesn't really make much sense does it?**_

_**I'm dyslexic, so please point out any mistakes in spelling or grammar [I spell things the way they do in England and Ireland, so some things may look off to Americans]. Please leave your opinion via review or send them via PM, I'd like to know what you think. Well, I think that's everything I've gotta say so, hope you enjoyed the chapter.**_

_**This is Highvalour saying bye and thanks for reading.**_


	48. Random Scenes 2

_**Was bored, decided to write out more scenes I have in my head… Most will be based around Shinobi Comics, some might not be but that depends on how many I write down here. **_

_**Also, I'd like to extend a very special Shout Out/ Thank You to 'The Sinful' who referenced chapter 39 over on TvTropes. That means a lot to me mate, cheers.**_

_**Like always, I really need feedback on these so I can find out what people like/dislike and so I can work out what areas I need to improve on. So please, review. Another chapter, another attempt to entertain you all. I honestly do not have anything else to add, so on with the show! **_

_**Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto**_

_**The Rest belongs to whomever.**_

_**XXXXX**_

XX Gato Company Warehouse, Southern Fire Country XX

Gato trembled with anticipation as he surveyed the multitude of masks before him. Their craftsmanship was clearly of Uzushio origin and the attention to detail, notable despite the years of neglect, was characteristic of the Uzumaki who'd made their home there. Hidden amongst these priceless works of art was the prize Gato sought. The Shinigami Mask, one of the greatest treasures of the Uzumaki, was within arm's reach.

"Hehe, it's mine." Gato chuckled as he reached out to touch the nearest mask. "The Spirit of Death, the ultimate power, is mine… Soon, soon I shall ascend and take my place as its avatar. No one will oppose me, business rivals and associates will be wiped out with a thought… Hehe, leaders who refuse to bow to my demands will fall and all that oppose me shall become dust."

"Sir wait, we haven't confirmed which of the masks is the one you seek." One of the researchers Gato was paying warned, grabbing Gato's wrist to stop him touching the mask. "Some may be booby-trapped to protect the Shinigami Mask."

"Well hurry, I'm paying you good money to sort out the mask from the rest." Gato snapped as he jerked his arm free. "Zori, how are things going on finding a suitable port for 'shipments'?"

"Not well." Zori admitted. "Daimyos are cracking down on illegal goods… Getting shipments to or from the likes of Swamp will be difficult."

"Well no matter, once I have the power of the Shinigami no one will dare turn away my products." Gato laughed.

"True sir." Zori agreed before clearing his throat. "Although, while we are struggling to find standard ports, Waraji came up with an interesting idea."

"And what might that be?" Gato asked, using the tone normally reserved for when you're talking about idiots and their dumb actions.

"About a day's hard ride from here, and about half an hour off shore, is the small country of Wave." Zori began. "It's independent of Fire Country, completely beneath the notice of the shinobi villages and perfectly positioned to function as a port for shipping to Swamp Country and Demon Country… In fact with just a few improvements to the larger trade heavy duty trade with Snow Country could be possible."

"If it's such a good port, why haven't I heard about it?" Gato asked as he rounded on Zori. "If this place trades with so many foreign ports why aren't we already balls deep in it?"

"B-Because it doesn't trade, sir." Zori gulped. "It's a dirt poor hunk of rock… Which just so happens to be large enough that our ships would be able to dock at any harbour built on it while being small enough that a hundred or some mercs would conquer the place easily."

"Are you saying we annex a country? I like it, send Waraji ahead to start preparations." Gato said as a cruel smile spread across his face. Once Zori left to carry out his orders Gato turned back to his team of researchers. "Now, have you found me my mask yet?"

"Almost sir." The lead researcher said as he pointed to two masks that had been set apart from the others. "We've narrowed it down to two. Both have the highest concentration of residual chakra and show the least damage despite the passing of time."

"Good, good." Gato smiled as he stared down at the masks. One, the closer, was made of smooth while porcelain and was styled to resemble a smiling hannya with jagged black teeth. The other, made from carved ebony, depicted a snarling oni. To Gato it was quiet clear which would grant him the powers of the Shinigami and which was just a distraction but he had long ago learned to trust but verify. "Hurry up."

As soon had Gato finished speaking the lights overhead exploded in a shower of sparks and broken glass. As the warehouse was engulfed in darkness Gato heard several muffled thuds around him. Shielding his eyes when one of his goons let a flare for light, Gato found himself face to face with someone wearing one of Konoha ANBU's tactical cloaks. The ninja's face was obscured by a dark porcelain mask with raised ridges around the nose and bared fangs along the mouth, giving the appearance of a snarling beast.

Koumori sprung off the table he'd crouched on, flipping over Gato to avoid a blow from the flare carrying thug, and landed behind the transport mogul. Reaching up to his shoulder blades and drawing the pair of combat sticks he'd strapped there, the young ANBU began engaging Gato's thugs. Dancing between them with practised ease, striking at opening with his sticks or letting fly with senbon to disable his foes without risking death, Koumori made short work of them with the only real surprise coming from a low level missing-ninja who knew a basic Fire Release.

Ignoring the groans and whimpers from the men he'd just defeated, as well as the flames beginning to take hold along the far wall, Koumori began to advance on Gato. Eskrima sticks gripped firmly in hand and ready to deal with any other fool that challenged him.

"Gato… You're going down." Koumori said as he closed the distance.

"Like hell I am!" Gato snarled before snatching up the ebony mask and pressed it to his face. "Hahaha! You're too late, I've become the avatar of death and you'll be the first to suffer my power!"

"Wrong mask." Koumori told him just as the seals on the mask's inside activated and began to burn into his face. Dropping his sticks and rushing forward to try and help Gato, Koumori used his chakra to burn a dampening seal into the mask and cut off the stored chakra powering the defensive seals. Prying Gato's hands away from the mask, Koumori tried to inspect the damage. "Hold still, I'm trying to help."

"Hey, get the hell away from the boss!" Zori roared as he rushed at Koumori.

"Dammit." Koumori muttered as he dodged and dove for his eskrima sticks. Scooping them up and turning to face Zori, Koumori noted the additional thugs who'd entered and begun to surround him.

"Kill the bastard!" Zori ordered just before the spreading flames reached and detonated some of the goods being stored in the warehouse.

The explosion knocked everyone off their feet and helped spread the flames all over the warehouse. As the rest of the goods began to burn Zori cursed and grabbed Gato, dragging his boss away from the danger and ordered his men to run for it.

"Shit." Koumori cursed as a crate exploded and sent shards of burning wood flying at him. Ducking under the splinters and rushing forward Koumori snatched up the Shinigami Mask and quickly Body Flickered away.

XX Hokage's Office, Konoha XX

"Well done Koumori." Hiruzen Sarutobi said as he took the mask from the young, and slightly charred, ANBU. "What of Gato?"

"He was badly injured by one of the other masks my Lord." Koumori reported. "I was able to prevent the mask from killing him, but shock from the damage and infection in the facial wounds will most likely prove fatal unless he received immediate and detailed treatment."

"I see." Sarutobi nodded as he made a note to inform the Daimyo that Gato Company was to be black listed. "What of the other masks?"

"The ebony mask seemed burned into Gato's face, what he's done with it I am unsure. The others were destroyed in the fire." Koumori admitted, ashamed he'd filled to recover all the masks.

"If they've been destroyed then that's for the best, those masks could have been a major risk in the wrong hands." Sarutobi said in his grandfatherly tone, sensing the thoughts of the boy before him. "Where there any casualties?"

"No sir, Gato's men helped the wounded flee when the flames got out of hand." Koumori answered. "Unless the recovery team was late and Ashina died, no one died to my knowledge."

"I see… Well done my boy." Sarutobi smiled as he motioned towards the chair on the far side of his desk. "Sit down and take off your mask, you're relieved of duty for the time being."

"Y-Yes my Lord." Koumori said as he lowered his hood and pulled the soot covered mask from his face.

"You've come a long way in such a short time." Sarutobi said as the boy took a seat across from him. "I'm so proud of you… And I know you parents would be too."

"T-Thank you my Lord." Sasuke Uchiha said as his sharingan eyes faded to black.

_**XXXXX**_

XX Near The Fire/Rich Field Boarder, Fire Country XX

Ducking under Hashirama's Wood Release: Cutting Technique and retrieving his kama Madara focused on his oldest foe, and friend. This would be their final battle, Madara was sure of it, and it would decide the fate of Konoha, Fire Country and maybe the world. Scanning the background, Madara watched with one eye as the fearsome Kyuubi was sealed into Mito Uzumaki. If it hadn't been for Hashirama's political marriage then that plan to use the Bijuu to level Konoha would have worked. The irony, if that was the right word, brought an amused smile to Madara's face.

"What's so funny Madara?" Hashirama yelled as he readied his blade. "Realised that stunt with your Susanoo and the Kyuubi assured me victory?"

"Assured you victory? Haha, you never could beat me Hashirama!" Madara roared back, his smile growing despite the seriousness of what was happening. He was fighting Hashirama again, not some silly little spar to demonstrate to the young but a real battle like in the old days and right now nothing else mattered. Not Konoha, not the clans… Nothing but the fight. "It may have winded me, but I've caught my breath and it cost you your greatest advantage!"

"Forming that spirit around the Kyuubi to hamper its movements long enough for Mito to seal it was smart… But what about your eyes?" Hashirama conceded as he brought his hands together and began the process of mingling his chakra with the power of the natural world. "But my advantage isn't gone, it's grown. While my power is the world, yours are those eyes… Eyes that are betraying you to the darkness even as we speak."

Madara said nothing, he just focused his eyes on Hashirama's. He knew that the blasted Senju was right, that his use of the mangekyo sharingan was costing him his sight and that this battle, where he'd been forced to rely on the power of Susanoo for so long only made that worse. As black rings on red met dark brown time seemed to slow as the power of the physical and the power of the spiritual prepared to clash.

"It's time to end this." Hashirama declared as the markings of his Sage Mode appeared and he rushed forward.

"So it is." Madara agreed quietly as was enveloped in the deep blue armour of the Susanoo. As he formed the ghostly force in a compress form, small enough to act as actual armour for himself and to coat his weapons, Madara readied his kama and gunbai before launching himself forward to settle things once and for all.

_**XXXXX**_

XX Konoha Ninja Academy, Konoha XX

"So what's with all the girls growing out their hair anyway?" Hibachi muttered as another girl passed with long hair. His mother, a mid-level chunin, had always told him that a shinobi should have short hair to stop other ninja grabbing it in a fight. "They weren't doing it last month… Where they?"

"I heard someone say that Sasuke Uchiha likes girls with long hair." Kota shrugged. "They must want him to notice them."

"Where is Uchiha anyway?" Hibachi asked, scanning the room for the boy in question. "Is he not in today?"

"Nope, he's missing again." Kota said after checking himself. "He's been doing that a lot since… well, you know."

"Yeah… Girls are stupid." Hibachi laughed. "Growing out their hair like that, waste of time."

"Especially since Sasuke's from the Uchiha clan." Kiba chuckled as he sat down in the row in front of Kota and Hibachi.

"What's that meant to mean?" Kota asked his feral looking team mate. He was interested in the clans and wanted to know what being a member of the Uchiha would have to do with liking girls.

"Uchiha still have a strong warrior culture, or at least that's how my Mother explained it." Kiba yawned. His clan and the Uchiha use to be close allies and he could remember lots of Uchiha hanging around when he was younger. "They look for strong partners, finding the ability to fight and win more important than being a home maker and other girlie stuff… Dad once said Uchiha chicks find scars sexy, hehe mom got made at that and chased him around the house before kicking his ass."

"You know a lot about the Uchiha." Hibachi noted as he leaned in close. "How do you know all that anyway?"

"Sasuke's dad use to come over and visit after mine left." Kiba shrugged. "He was my dad's sensei and got on well with my mom… Me and Sasuke use to be pretty good friends before his family died."

"Really?" Kato asked before they fell into silence. After about a minute or so Kato spoke up again. "Hey my older brother got back from a mission this morning. He said he'd show me a cool kunai trick after school, you guys wanna come?"

As the boys chatted away, talking about learning cool new kunai tricks and arranging games of tag for later, Sakura Haruno sat in quietly in her seat and thought about what she heard.

'_Sasuke likes strong girls, not long haired girls.' _This was all that was going through Sakura's head for the rest of the day, zoning out the instructors and only paying attention when she was called up to spar with Ami and when Ino had to fight Hinata. As she watched Ino try and beat the Hyuuga heiress a thought struck Sakura. _'I'd have to be strong to get good at taijutsu and if I got good at taijutsu then Sasuke would notice me.'_

Smiling at how she had the advantage over Ino and the other girls, they all still thought Sasuke wanted long hair, and how she was going to get really strong Sakura stayed behind after class to ask their instructor, Daikoku Funeno, how she could get good at taijutsu.

_**XXXXX**_

_**Alright, calling a halt here. Scene one is the follow up to the Koumori scene from last chapter. Scene two is based on one of several 'what if characters X and Y had their roles in canon swapped', here with Madara and Hashirama while other ideas included the Sage's sons as well as Jiraiya swapping with Orochimaru [added ripple effect would have been Naruto going rogue and Sasuke staying loyal] while the last scene is part of Sakura's backstory for Shinobi Comics… Speaking of which, Sasuke/Koumori is something I'm thinking of doing in Shinobi Comics where some of the canon Rookie Nine graduated early and the remainder are sorted into different teams [bit of a change from the usual].**_

_**I'm dyslexic, so please point out any mistakes in spelling or grammar [I spell things the way they do in England and Ireland, so some things may look off to Americans]. Please leave your opinion via review or send them via PM, I'd like to know what you think. Well, I think that's everything I've gotta say so, hope you enjoyed the chapter.**_

_**This is Highvalour saying bye and thanks for reading.**_


	49. Random Scenes 3

_**Final bunch of Random Scenes here. Gonna finish 'Shinobi Comics Sakura' background story [if I can], drop one or two other little scenes and I'm going to throw in three little snippets from the Team Nightmare verse [a few hundred words each showing what Kakashi's little nightmares are up to about two weeks into the month long break] because I just haven't gotten the burst of inspiration needed to work on the Chunin Exams…. Most of it is already planned out, I just need the motivation to start.**_

_**Like always, I really need feedback on these so I can find out what people like/dislike and so I can work out what areas I need to improve on. So please, review. Another chapter, another attempt to entertain you all. I honestly do not have anything else to add, so on with the show! **_

_**Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto**_

_**The Rest belongs to whomever.**_

_**XXXXX**_

XX Naruto's Apartment, Konoha XX

Rubbing his eyes and rolling his shoulders Naruto picked up another book on Automail maintenance and customisation. He had a plan for the Chunin Exams, well several actually, but his plan for Gaara hinged on his arm not being clogged and that was a problem.

Automail had lots of complex parts, tiny little sections that moved and worked and functioned perfectly as long as no little bits of dirt or sand got stuck. Now normally that wouldn't be a problem since the amount of sand it'd take to clog up his arm wasn't something you'd normally find in one place in Fire Country, but Gaara was a walking sandstorm waiting to happen and that could, most likely would, cause problems.

"This looks promising." Naruto yawned as he came across a chapter on retrofitting his arm for lighter kits. Naruto had made it about half way down the introductory paragraph before his stomach let out a loud rumble to remind him he hadn't eaten since morning. Rubbing his eyes again and glancing at the clock, Naruto was surprised to see that it was almost seven in the evening. "Don't wanna cook… Ichiraku it is."

XX Ramen Ichiraku, Konoha XX

As Naruto finished off his second bowl of miso ramen and chatted away with Ayame he heard someone call his name in greeting. Leaning back in his chair and checking up and down the street, Naruto spotted Team Guy a short ways off.

"How are you Naruto?" Lee called as he broke away from the team and made his way over. "And how are you team mates? I haven't seen them around the village lately."

"Hello Lee. I'm good, how are you?" Naruto said. "Sasuke and Sakura? Oh I'm sure they're fine… And hello Guy-sensei, Neji and… Tenten, right?"

"Good day Naruto!" Guy yelled from across the street. "I'm sorry I can't stay, but Kakashi has invited all the sensei out for drinks and I'm hoping to issue a new challenge. Good bye."

"Bye… What's he mean challenge? Naruto called after the Guy before turning to Lee.

"Guy-sensei and Kakashi Hatake regularly set tasks to challenge each other." Lee explained as he took a seat down beside Naruto and scanned the menu. "The loser must perform a forfeit."

"Just more of his antics." Neji scuffed as he eyed the ramen store. He seemed to be debating with himself as to wither he was hungry enough to be seen eating there. "Where are your… team mates?"

"Sakura is off site seeing… I think, she said something about visiting River Country and dealing with some pests the news said where hanging around there." Naruto told them as he motioned to Ayame that he'd be paying for them. "As for Sasuke… Something about gate crashing a party at some castle."

"What? He's away partying instead of training?" Tenten snapped, there was a pretty strong chance she'd be facing him and she found the fact that he wasn't training very offensive."

"Well with Sasuke the term 'party' can mean just about anything from a few drinks and some loud music to a no holds barred battle royale between himself, S-Rank enemies and hell spawned monstrosities that make the Bijuu seem civil in comparison." Naruto shrugged before turning to Lee. "Your face healed up nicely."

"Yeah, Sasuke came by after the matches had been announced and made me crush some green crystal. It healed me up right there." Lee explained as he accepted a large beef ramen. "Speaking of the Bijuu, is what Sasuke said true? About him having the Kyuubi sealed up inside him?"

"I'm sorry Lee, but all details relating to the Kyuubi and its sealing, presuming that is in fact what happened, are classified as S-Rank and as such I cannot divulge any details without the express permission of the Hokage." Naruto said in the dull and robotic tone of someone repeating a learned response.

"Oh, I see." Lee said before a small smile spread across his face. He had managed to stand against someone who held the most feared demon in existence after all.

"So is this thing at the palace a party 'party' or a battle?" Tenten asked, clearly not letting this underestimating of both herself and Hinata go.

"Could be either… But my money would be on him just spending the entire month blind drunk and trying to hook up with whatever floozy catches his eye." Naruto admitted after a moment considering the question.

"What! That's it, I'm going to kill that stupid sword swinging asshole!" Tenten ranted, storming off and muttering about making the Last Uchiha pay.

"Hehehe, this is gonna be interesting." Naruto sniggered as he watched her retreating form.

"How unyouthful." Lee sighed as he finished his ramen. "And here I thought Sasuke was a fair and good person… But to waste his time drinking and partying like that is an insult to his opponents."

"Yeah… Or at least it would be if this Bloody Palace place wasn't an artificial Hell Dimension where his mere presence summons the hordes of a dozen different Hells to try and kill him constantly." Naruto laughed as his self-control broke and tears started streaming down his face. "I lied, Sasuke is taking Hinata and Tenten seriously… I just wanted to rattle her cage and get her worked up for the fight.

"Why?" Neji asked.

"Why? To see her turn Sasuke into a human pin-cushion of course!" Naruto said with a shit eating grin on his face.

_**XXXXX**_

XX Konoha Ninja Academy, Konoha XX

"Taijutsu is part of the curriculum at the Academy, if you pay attention in class you'll pick up the skills you need." Daikoku Funeno pointed out once Sakura finished explaining to him that she wanted to learn taijutsu. Checking the class records, and hiding a wince at how low her taijutsu scores where, Daikoku decided to give Sakura some advice. Who knew, maybe if she improved the other girls would start improving as well. "Well the first step in taijutsu training is stamina building. Your body won't be able to handle the taijutsu training if your stamina isn't good."

"Okay, how do I improve my stamina?" Sakura asked, nearly making Daikoku cry. Sakura Haruno and her class had been students of his for almost two and a half years, and at least once a week he had mentioned the importance of stamina training, but it seemed she'd spent more time focused on Sasuke than on physical training.

"There are a couple of ways to improve your stamina; walking, running, swimming and even light weight work can all improve you stamina… The weights will also have the added benefit of toning and strengthening your muscles." Daikoku said as he jotted down a few quick pointers for Sakura to work with. "Be sure to eat large and balanced meals to provide nutrients and keep your energy levels up, continue all the training we do in class… Eh you could ask your parents for advice, your mother Mebuki is pretty good at taijutsu if I remember correctly."

"Large meals?" Sakura asked, worried about ruining her diet. "B-but I'll get fat if I eat lots and then Sasuke won't be interested in me."

"Get fat? Not interested… Urrgh." Daikoku groaned as he realised that this was just some attempt to impress the Uchiha and not one of his students taking her training seriously. Deciding that even if it was for stupid reason, one more of his students with skills that could save her life one day was better than nothing and so he tried to come up with a way of belaying her worries in such a way that she'd be receptive but won't end with him on some kind or register. "Eh… Look Sakura, the thing is… Shinobi training is very tough, it burns off lots of fat and it… It builds muscle tone which eh… Which I hear boys like Sasuke find eh… They find it… I hear they like it."

"Really… Okay, thanks sensei." Sakura beamed before taking his notes and leaving.

"Huh." Daikoku sighed once she'd gone. "Well, at least that's one of them actually on the path to becoming something close to a competent shinobi."

XX Haruno Household, Konoha XX

"Honey…. Did you add something to the food?" Kizashi Haruno asked his wife quietly as he watched his daughter leave an almost empty plate.

"Cinnamon, why?" Mebuki Haruno replied as she finished her own food.

"It's just Sakura nearly finished her food…" Kizashi said. "… And well, you did say you'd considered spiking her food with something to make her eat more. So when she ate more than she's been eating for the last few weeks…"

"You taught I drugged her food." Mebuki finished for him. Turning to stare at Kizashi and glaring slightly, Mebuki lowered her voice to barely a whisper. "No, no I didn't… But if you're not careful I'll add something to yours."

"Hehe, sorry." Kizashi laughed nervously, waving his hands in front of his face. "Anyway, this is good right? Means she's off that stupid diet."

"Hopefully." Mebuki agreed before Sakura's voice came from above them.

"Mom, can you come here a minute?" Sakura yelled from her room. "I need to ask you something about taijutsu."

"Eating more and looking into taijutsu? Looks like we won't have to ask you sister to look into getting her a job at the civilian school." Mebuki smiled before leaving Kizashi to clean up.

XX Konoha Ninja Academy, Konoha – Six Months Later XX

"Okay class, time for the weekly taijutsu spars." Daikoku announced before leading the students out to the practice yard. "First up this week will be Hinata Hyuuga and… Oh, Sakura Haruno."

This announcement was met with a sighs of relief from the many students who didn't want to face Hinata, there was just something really off putting about the polite and friendly Hyuuga being able to destroy all but two of the other students in a taijutsu spar that made people uneasy about facing her.

"Morning Sakura." Hinata smiled as the two stepped into the ring and faced each other.

"Morning Hinata." Sakura said as she focused all her attention on Hinata. Hinata was one of the best taijutsu fighters in the class with only Sasuke, who was awesome and unbeatable, and that Naruto kid, who was just too tough to actually hurt, ever winning against her. Sakura knew that she had to beat Hinata, it was the only way to show just how strong she had become and get Sasuke to notice her… She wouln't lose.

"Alright, Hinata Hyuuga vs Sakura Haruno. Will you both make the sign for combat?" Daikoku said once the pair were facing each other. Once both had flashed the sign he began the match proper.

Sakura rushed forward, intent on controlling the pace of the battle and not allowing Hinata time to plan. Leading with a high right jab, Sakura hoped to down Hinata in one move but the Hyuuga heiress easily side-stepped the blow and countered with three quick strikes to Sakura's exposed side. Hissing at the pain from the blows Sakura adopted a more defensive stance but continued to push forward. The fight lasted almost a minute and a half, making it the longest Academy spar not involving Sasuke or her crush Hinata was involved in. Sakura managed to land a solid hit on Hinata, one that was likely to leave a nasty bruise, but before she could fall back or raise her guard Hinata landed an equally solid gut blow and downed the young Haruno girl.

"Well done both of you, that was an excellent sparring match." Daikoku said as he helped Sakura to her feet. "Now, both of you make the sign for harmony to show the match is over and there are no hard feelings."

As Sakura and Hinata interlocked fingers Sakura scanned their classmates. Most wore looks of surprise that she'd lasted as long as she had while some showed jealousy for that very same reason. But one pair of eyes, onyx coloured and normally filled with nothing but indifference held a spark of interest as back behind the group and crouched down on the seating Sasuke Uchiha watched the pair.

'_Well I didn't win, but Sasuke noticed me.'_ Sakura thought to herself as she and Hinata left the ring.

_**XXXXX**_

XX River Country XX

"W-Where the hell is it?" Raiga Kurosuki roared as he stood in the middle of the street searching for the thing that had taken his mooks. It had struck while his men had been securing this month's profits from the gold mine and had dragged two off into the night without any difficulty. "Dammit Ranmaru, where the fuck is it?"

"Behind us." Came the voice of Raiga's young assistant.

"Die!" Raiga roared as he channelled a surge of Lightning chakra through the Kiba blades and blasted the small shack behind him.

"Missed us." A voice hissed off to his right. "At it seems you have a helper, interesting."

"Shit, where is it? What does it look like? A-Are there more?" Raiga rattled off as he quickly lost his cool.

"There's one, it's black with a big white spider on the chest and it's to your left." Ranmaru supplied as a shadowy blur rushed at Raiga.

Diving out of the way and swiping at the creature with his swords, Raiga wondered what the hell he was fighting. The way it had picked off his men, and seemed to use some kind of jutsu that generated spider-like webbing, brought the stories about some new bounty hunter to mind but… But this thing was barely bigger than a child, there was no way whatever was attacking him could have taken down all those other Missing-Ninja or the bandit groups.

"R-Raiga, i-it's gone." Ranmaru whimpered. "I-It just vanished… I don't know where it's gone."

Backing up slowly, putting space between himself and where the thing had been last, Raiga began to weigh up the idea of just fleeing. Sure his reputation would take a hit but at least he'd be safe and able to start over. Yeah, better to flee now with his swords then end up like is old commander Momochi. Yeah better to run than lose his prized Kiba blades.

"Come here!" The thing snarled as three thick strands of webbing shot out from one of the nearby storehouses and yanked Ranmaru off from his perch on Raiga's back.

With a roar of startled rage Raiga converted the chakra he'd been gathering for a quick Body Flicker into Lightning chakra and fired a destructive wave into the storehouse after the boy. When whatever they'd been keeping exploded and engulfed the storehouse in fire and smoke Raiga let out a cruel laugh. He may have lost Ranmaru, a heavy loss indeed, but he had to have killed that monster.

"Missed." A voice hissed before a small fist impacted with Raiga's lower back, the force snapping his spine and paralysing everything below his naval.

"Huh… ah… W-What are… What are you?" Raiga gasped as he looked at the creature.

"What are we?" The monster growled, revealing dozens of razor sharp teeth. "To scum like you, scum that preys on the innocent, we are poisonous… We are toxic… We are Venom!"

_**XXXXX**_

XX The Bloody Palace XX

Ducking under the lunging Assault and drawing Coyote-A Sasuke fired on the Blitz that had finally stopped darting around in its incorporeal electric form, removing a section of its face and overloading the irritating little lizard.

"Choose your cradle of filth. Discipline that I've instilled. Turn and face your sacrifice. As I revolve this lead of might!" Sasuke sang to himself as he sidestepped another charge from the sole remaining Assault, this time driving one of Lucifer's blades through its back while it passed. Triggering the blade's explosive quality, and clearing this section of the Palace, Sasuke finished his song. "In my world where only time is feared, single handily I draw your first tear. Sway strong to the truthful frequency, spirits swim in the wares of history."

Waiting for the next portal to open, and his next challenge to be revealed, Sasuke roll his shoulders and called Rebellion back to his hand.

"Let's hope the next batch can put up a fight." He muttered before stepping into the pillar of light.

_**XXXXX**_

_**Alright, gonna call it quits there… Had two or three other scenes I'd been thinking of but it's late and this chapter is long enough. Might give those scenes a bit more work, turn them into stand-alone chapters, not sure.**_

_**Oh yeah, I've got a six week work placement over in Canada coming up now so I'll be writing even less for the next six or seven weeks. I'll still be developing stories and expanding on ideas in my head but what I put to paper [or word processor] will be less for a while.**_

_**I'm dyslexic, so please point out any mistakes in spelling or grammar [I spell things the way they do in England and Ireland, so some things may look off to Americans]. Please leave your opinion via review or send them via PM, I'd like to know what you think. Well, I think that's everything I've gotta say so, hope you enjoyed the chapter.**_

_**This is Highvalour saying bye and thanks for reading.**_


	50. Team Nightmare And It Begins

_**So here it is, the only reason anyone reads anything I write, Team Nightmare. Been a long time since I wrote a chapter for it I know but I'm back and gonna continue it so relax. The matches are Sasuke vs. Hinata, then the winner of Match 1 vs. Tenten, followed by Sakura vs. Shikamaru, then Choji vs. Temari and Round One finishes off with Naruto vs. Gaara. I'll do my best to drag out the fights, give the characters a chance to showcase their skills and impress the judges… Wait! What the fuck am I saying, forget that last part. This story is going to end like it it'd planned the whole thing to go, as a joke with three overpowered shinobi just steamrolling everything. The end is, thankfully, near!**_

_**Like always, I really need feedback on these so I can find out what people like/dislike and so I can work out what areas I need to improve on. So please, review. Another chapter, another attempt to entertain you all. I honestly do not have anything else to add, so on with the show!**_

_**Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.**_

_**Fullmetal Alchemist belongs to Hiromu Arakawa**_

_**Devil May Cry belongs to Capcom**_

_**Venom belongs to Marvel Comics**_

_**XXXXX**_

XX Chunin Exam Stadium Stands, Konoha XX

Settling into his seat up in the stands, with his team mates rather than his clan, Neji watched the finalists with a wary eye. There was no sign of the jinchuuriki at the moment and the tournament was to start shortly. While the idea of that monster being AWOL was worrying a small part of Neji was grateful since that meant that neither Tenten nor Hinata, because even a weakling like her shouldn't have to face it, would be destroyed by it.

'_Why on Earth would the Hokage let it fight?' _Neji wondered to himself as he turned his gaze to the Kage's booth where both his leader, and the leader of the Hidden Sand Village, sat awaiting the first match. _'That thing could kill one of the other competitors, why risk it?'_

What it a show of power, a plan to intimidate the other Hidden Villages and showcase Konoha's strength to the gathered nobles in a single stroke? Neji wasn't sure, he felt like he was missing some crucial piece of information. In fact he was certain he was after raising his concern for Hinata's safety to Lord Hiashi but the way his uncle had listened, laughed and walked away with an amused smile on his face had to indicate something else was going on… Well that or his uncle was an even colder bastard than Neji had ever thought.

XX Chunin Exam Stadium Kage Observation Box, Konoha XX

High above the arena, seated in his high backed chair, Hiruzen Sarutobi watched as the competitors for this year's Chunin Exams gathered. Seven of the nine who had made it past the Second Stage coming from Konoha, all but one of them being rookies, was sure to look good to potential clients and was a sure sign that the Will of Fire could be intrusted to the next generation with peace of mind. Turning away from the slowly filling stadium and addressed his bodyguard, Raido Namiashi.

"How is Anko? Any improvement?" The concern was notable in his voice, Sarutobi had always had a soft spot for the abandoned student(s) of his former prize pupil.

"The doctors say she will be fit for discharge by the end of the month, Milord." Raido replied as he handed over the medical reports he'd taken with him in preparation for those very questions. "Best we can work out, he attacked her to drain the power from her dormant Curse Seal, something in the forest must have hurt him bad to make him risk facing her in the state she described."

"Indeed, have the recon teams found any trace of what did it?" Sarutobi asked as he became aware of several approaching presences. Turning he spotted his counterpart from Suna drawing near, flanked by a pair of bodyguards. Signalling to Raido that they would continue later, and putting on a welcoming smile, Sarutobi turned to the Kazekage and offered a warm welcome. "Ah, Lord Kazekage, welcome. You must be tired from your trip."

"Not at all, Lord Hokage, but I do think it was fortunate the Finals are being held here in Konoha." The Kazekage replied in a far to cheerful tone for the usually cold leader, maybe he'd changed his diet or started using that lovely pipe weed Wind Country produced. "While you are still young, I worry had the Finals been held elsewhere the trip may have proved too much for you… Perhaps it is time you called on a Fifth?"

"Not at all, I feel as spry as ever and plan to continue on for at least another five years if not more." Sarutobi laughed, he'd noticed one of Danzo's old 'and not completely disbanded ROOT' shinobi nearby and wanted to screw with his old friend, before slowly rising from his chair and addressing the crowd. "Thank you all for coming to the Chunin Selection Exam finals here in Konoha. We will not begin the matches between the nine genin who-"

Before Sarutobi could finish his speech screams and cries rang out from the civilians as the sky seemed to bleed crimson and tear itself apart. Watching in equal parts shock and concern as a mass of rock and lava fell through the rip and landed smack dap in the centre of the arena. Shifting and moving the mass of rock and lava took the shape of an elephant sized spider that rose up and roared.

"Get back here you overgrown cockroach!" Someone yelled before a bloodied and ragged Sasuke Uchiha shot out of the rip and delivered a stadium shaking drop kick to the demonic spider. Back flipping off the stunned creature, and charging up those evil looking gauntlets he'd used during the prelims, Sasuke began to pound the creatures face in over and over while yelling at the top of his lungs. "Why. Won't. You. Just. Die?"

When the spider finally gave up and died, its body dissolving into the earth without a trace, Sasuke switched to his sword and joined the others as if nothing had happened, although he did wonder why more than a third of the other competitors kept giving him angry glares.

"Eh… As I was saying." Sarutobi began once h was sure the monster had vanished and the sky was back to normal. "Thank you all for coming to the Chunin Selection Exam finals here in Konoha. We will not begin the matches between the nine genin who passed our Preliminary Stage one month ago. Now, please stay until the end and enjoy the matches!"

XX Chunin Exam Stadium Arena Floor, Konoha XX

Watching as their teammate shuck lava off the metal gauntlets he wore, and adjusted the shredded strips of red leather that was once his coat, Naruto and Sakura just rolled their eyes and waited for the first match to be called.

Once the crowd had settled down, and Naruto got Sasuke to shut up by agreeing to repair his damaged coat, the Chunin Exam Finals could continue.

"Alright, this is the final stage of the test." Genma Shiranui announced as he made his way over to the gathered genin, avoiding the mass of hardened basalt that monster had made after dying. Holding up a sheet that displayed their names and the order of the matches he continued. "The arena is different but the rules are the same as in the Prelims. You will fight until one of you dies or acknowledges defeat. However, if I feel that the fight is over I will step in and you will stop. Got it?"

"Yeah, yeah let's get this party started already." Sasuke yawned as he stripped off the rags that once made up his vest and top and tossing them aside. Slipping his coat on and fastening the buckles over his bare chest Sasuke lay Rebellion across his shoulders and rolled his neck. "Come on, I'm getting bored here."

"Behave or I'll disqualify you." Genma warned, clearly not willing to put up with crap from the Last Loyal Uchiha. Checking the listings quickly to see who would be fighting first, Genma cleared his throat and announced the first match. "Would Sasuke Uchiha and Hinata Hyuuga please remain? The rest are to make their way up the stairs to my right and wait in the competitor's box."

While the others left Sasuke turned to Hinata and flashed her a cocky smile.

"Ready to have a little fun?" Sasuke asked, idly swinging his sword back and forth in front of him.

"Y-Yes. I'm ready." Hinata said, sounding and looking more confidant then Sasuke had ever seen the girl… But that really wasn't saying much. "I know you're strong, but I won't back down. I-I'm going to give it my all and prove I'm strong."

"You wanna be strong? I can make you strong." Sasuke laughed as an orb of faint blue light formed in his right hand. Clenching his fist around the light caused it to solidify and form into a large and beautifully crafted scythe. "This here is Osiris, I guess you could call it an 'Angel Arm'."

The blade is long and curved, coming off the tip of the snaith at its heel. The snaith itself looks to be made out of wood, and it has two grips protruding from opposite ends that resemble whittled branches. The pommel was a round piece that almost resembles a face and seemed to radiate a faint blue hue.

"What's it for?" Hinata asked as she eyed the scythe. "You mostly use that sword of yours, why are you taking that out?"

"What's it for? It's for you, if you want it?" Sasuke laughed as he closed the gap between them, drove the scythe's pommel into the ground at her feet and walked back to his starting position. "It's a mystic weapon, pick it up and you'll get a massive boost to your speed and agility… Not to mention the knowledge of a master scythe user to wield it well. Think of it as a way to level the playing field. A way for you to get some actual power and have a hope in hell of winning this fight."

XX Chunin Exam Stadium Competitor's Box XX

"What's he doing? If that is an angelic artefact it could do a lot of damage to him." Sakura hissed under her breath as everyone watched Hinata slowly reach for the scythe. "I know he's insane, but this is beyond lunacy."

"He's giving her a change, to pick between power and strength." Naruto explained as a soft smile appeared on his face. It's kinda touching in a strange and potentially masochistic way."

"What?" Sakura snapped as she rounded on her blonde teammate. "What do you mean 'pick between power and strength'?"

"If she picks up the scythe then she gets the power it contains." Naruto said as he leaned forward. "power that came from him though… But if she chooses to reject the scythe he's offering, chooses to fight on her own inner strength then it speaks of character."

"So he's willing to risk serious injury to get a look at her character?" Shikamaru blurted out from behind them.

"More or less." Naruto shrugged. "I don't think Sasuke really cares about the exams, he's just interested in having fun and getting into fights."

_**XXXXX**_

_**Gonna call it quits here for now, mainly because my interest in writing this has been dying a slow death for a long time and I just don't want to write any more of it right now.**_

_**Oh, also can anyone give a good site to translate from English into Romanised Japanese? I want to translate "House Whose Foundation Creates Terror" into Japanese and might want it for other fic ideas later on. Can anyone help me out?**_

_**I'm dyslexic, so please point out any mistakes in spelling or grammar [I spell things the way they do in England and Ireland, so some things may look off to Americans]. Please leave your opinion via review or send them via PM, I'd like to know what you think. Well, I think that's everything I've gotta say so, hope you enjoyed the chapter.**_

_**This is Highvalour saying bye and thanks for reading.**_


	51. Temen Na Gru

_**Just a little idea I had while playing the DMC HD collection, gonna be short as I haven't decided if this, should people show interest, will become an updated version of Devil's Blade [background to that idea is chapter 20] or if it'll end up as the beginning of a separate idea [with some DmC Devil May Cry influence thrown in].**_

_**Like always, I really need feedback on these so I can find out what people like/dislike and so I can work out what areas I need to improve on. So please, review. Another chapter, another attempt to entertain you all. I honestly do not have anything else to add, so on with the show! **_

_**Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.**_

_**Devil May Cry belongs to Capcom.**_

_**XXXXX**_

XX Hidden Akatsuki Base, South Of Ame XX

As the shinobi loyal to Pain left the meeting room, their orders in this guerrilla war against Hanzo issued and understood, Konan stepped forward to speak with her friend and leader.

"Many of them will die." She noted once they were alone. She didn't like the plans Pain, Nagato, was beginning to use. His tactics showed a willingness to sacrifice far too many of those loyal to him, they reeked of Madara's influence. "There are other targets they could take out, targets where the guard presence won't cost us so many."

"The loss of these locations will greatly weaken Hanzo's position, they must be taken out." Nagato spoke through his 'Main Body'. Pausing to point out something on the map, he then explained what they would be doing. "Here, the most heavily defended location bordering the regions we control, is where I will be attacking. The attacks will be coordinated so that I shall draw the majority of attention and aggression from those loyal to Hanzo."

"When do we attack?" Konan asked, she still didn't like it but if they could draw in enough of Hanzo's forces then maybe a few more of their shinobi would survive.

"I attack at dawn, you will remain out of combat and coordinate the other forces." Nagato corrected as he studied the maps laid out before him. "I intend to show Ame the power of my Six Paths of Pain."

"What? The forces there outnumber our own nearly three to one." Konan snapped as she rounded on Yahiko's body and staring down her only remaining friend. "Your Rinnegan is powerful but-"

"An assault on that base is a waste of your power, Pain." A deep and gruff voice cut in, alerting both to the presence of their 'ally'.

From the shadows a cloaked figure, face hidden behind a spiral patterned mask, emerged. He was Madara Uchiha, an ancient shinobi and the true leader of the Akatsuki. Walking over to join them Madara glanced down at the map and seemed to be pleased by what he saw.

"Come here Itachi, we have your first task." Madara said to the shadows, prompting a child garbed in blood splattered ANBU armour to step out.

"Madara, who is this?" Konan asked as she studied the boy who couldn't be more than thirteen from the looks of things.

"This is Itachi Uchiha, a descendant of mine." Madara explained. "He is the newest member of the Akatsuki, I believe Kisame has need of a partner, and the one responsible for the slaughter of my old clan."

"This boy destroyed the Uchiha?" Nagato asked, doubt detectible in his voice. "I find that difficult to believe."

"Do not doubt the power of the Mangekyo Sharingan, or the power a helping hand can lend." Madara warned before turning to Konan. "See the boy is equipped and sent to the docks, Kisame will be waiting with their orders."

"Go Konan." Nagato ordered before she could argue. Once she'd led the younger Uchiha away Nagato's Deva Path sat itself down and looked to Madara. "I take it there was something else."

"I found something during the massacre, an ancient scroll." Madara said as he reached into his cloak and retrieved said scroll. It was rather large and very ornate. As he unfurled it Madara explained why it was important enough to care about. "It was written by an Uzumaki, centuries ago, and details the Origin."

"The origin of what?" Nagato asked as the Deva Path adjusted its position to get a better look.

"Of kekkei genkai, of chakra and of the Bijuu." Madara answered in a that wasn't a lie, the scroll detailed where the Juubi had come from and so gave the origin of the Bijuu derived from it. "It speaks of great creatures entering our world, eons ago, and their power affecting the early humans. When the demons left, some were trapped here. Dead or dormant, sealed or in some cases free to wonder and rampage."

"There are other creatures like the Bijuu?" Nagato gasped, it took a lot to surprise him but this revelation had managed it. "How have we never learned of this?"

"The Bijuu are those that continued to wander, the strongest of those forgotten. The rest are dormant or sealed away inside artefacts." Madara laughed as he continued to read, what he was discovering could make the Moon's Eye Plan a pointless waste of time. "It also speaks of a place, a portal between our world and the Demon Realms… The name is translated into the old tongue as 'Zaidan no hausu wa tero o sakusei', if I'm reading this right, and means 'House Who's Foundation Creates Terror'."

"Sounds inviting." Nagato said dully as he tried to decipher the writing. "What does it have to do with us?"

"On the far side of the portal, in the Demon Realms, there is limitless power waiting for those able to claim it. If we could raise the portal, break the seals keeping it locked away, we could end all wars with a wave of our hands." Madara whispered as he settled on a plan, the Akatsuki would continue with hunting the Bijuu for the original's Moon's Eye Plan but he would be focusing on this. A few simple lies to Zetsu should convince the artificial being that this plan would see the real Madara brought back and ensure his, their, continued assistance. "For the moment I want you continue with the plan, focus your attention on Hanzo while the other member bring in revenue to finance our operations. I want as many of the Minor Villages starved of contracts as possible…"

"And what will you be doing, Madara?" Nagato asked when Madara rolled up the scroll and turned to leave.

"For now, researching the details on this scroll." Madara shrugged as he began to warp away. "No point investing time or effort should it all turn out to be a fairy-tale."

_**XXXXX**_

_**Short since this is only part of a possible intro, the second half would be Obito awakening **__**Temen-ni-gru and this leading to demons manifesting across the Elemental Nations as well as Devil Arms triggering. The demons and Devil Arms would then tie into whatever storyline I went for [demons attack a young Naruto triggering the events of devil's Blade or someone finding a Devil Arm and leading to the DmC Devil may Cry influenced idea].**_

_**Would really like feedback on this, it looks to be the beginning of a DMC inspired run for me what with this and the rough draft of a DMC 3/ Rosario Vampire crossover intro going up over in Chaos In The Cosmos [would really like feedback from Rosario Vampire fans there as well since I think the characterisation might be off].**_

_**I'm dyslexic, so please point out any mistakes in spelling or grammar [I spell things the way they do in England and Ireland, so some things may look off to Americans]. Please leave your opinion via review or send them via PM, I'd like to know what you think and the more feedback I get means the better I can improve. Well, I think that's everything I've gotta say so, hope you enjoyed the chapter.**_

_**This is Highvalour saying bye and thanks for reading.**_


	52. Team Nightmare - Clash Of Heirs!

_**Another chapter, going to do Sasuke's fight at the very least here… I'll be glad to finally lay this plot to rest.**_

_**Like always, I really need feedback on these so I can find out what people like/dislike and so I can work out what areas I need to improve on. So please, review. Another chapter, another attempt to entertain you all. I honestly do not have anything else to add, so on with the show!**_

_**Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.**_

_**Fullmetal Alchemist belongs to Hiromu Arakawa**_

_**Devil May Cry belongs to Capcom**_

_**Venom belongs to Marvel Comics**_

_**XXXXX**_

XX Chunin Exam Stadium Stands, Konoha XX

Hinata stared at the beautifully crafted scythe, Osiris, and was sorely tempted to take it. If one of these mystic weapons was the reason that Sasuke had gone from simply strong to… To whatever on earth he was now then maybe she could get strong too. Slowly reaching out, her fingers falling just short of brushing against the snaith, she could actually feel the power radiating from the weapon.

"I could be strong, strong enough to impress Father, strong enough for Naruto to maybe notice me…" Hinata whispered before her hand fell down to her side. With her head hung low Hinata stepped around the scythe and moved closer to Sasuke.

Dropping into the basic stance for the Hyuuga's Gentle Fist, and fixing Sasuke with a glare so intense that up in the stands Hiashi Hyuuga was taken aback, the heiress to Konoha's largest remaining clan prepared to fight.

Sasuke said nothing, just smiled and banished Osiris. Readying his sword, and flickering red for a second, he squared up to the girl and wondered just how far she'd push him.

"Well if you two are done delaying, I'd really like to get this tournament underway before some of our visitors go home." Genma Shiranui muttered before placing himself in between the pair and raising his hand. "Same rules as the pre-lims; you fight until surrender or I call it. Killing is allowed but frowned on… Begin!"

No sooner had Genma finished and Sasuke was moving, closing the short distance between himself and Hinata at a speed your average chunin would struggle to match. He started off with the basics, a few simple and repetitive three or four swing combos, to see just how good she was. To his confusion, and presumably the confusion of most of those who knew her, Hinata was able to easily dance between the swings and swipes as the Byakugan and her natural flexibility allowed her to all but dance between his attacks.

"There." Hinata said as she ducked under Sasuke's sword and jabbed at his arm, striking where she'd learned a person's chakra points were located.

"Gah, sonofa-" Sasuke hissed as he jumped back and rubbed at his arm, trying to massage the pins and needles out of it. Charging up and firing off a powerful Drive, which Hinata twisted around to avoid, Sasuke rushed forward and let fly with some of his more advanced sword techniques.

To his surprise, and most definitely to her credit, Hinata found a way to block his attacks. By directing chakra in to her palms, and expelling it at the instant of contact, she was able to stop or deflect each and every swing of Rebellion. When a particularly powerful downward swing was countered the pair were forced back and took a second to inspect things.

'_The Hell?' _Sasuke thought as he inspected Rebellion, whose blade was actually glowing red hot in places from the friction. Glancing up at Hinata, who was busy inspecting her palms which sported slight chakra burns, he began to laugh. "Hahahaha… Now, this is a party! I was worried, back when Kakashi said we'd be competing in this, that the Exams would be boring. But Lee and you, oh boy did you prove me wrong."

"T-Thank you." Hinata panted, the pace of the fight and the chakra usage having gotten to her. "I-I'm glad you're enjoying yourself."

"Hehe, yeah… But all good things gotta end, so what do you say we finish it right now?" Sasuke laughed as he hefted Rebellion up and laid it across his shoulders. "A game of chicken, right here and right now… Looser is the first to flinch, interested?"

Hinata didn't answer, she just stared at him. 'Chicken'? that was crazy! They couldn't try something like that, if they mistimed a dodge or didn't stop in time then the other would be… would be… Something in Sasuke's face made her train of thought crash to a halt. It was a look that said 'trust me, I got this'. And his eyes, those normal black eyes seemed to be watching her, searching her for something like when he'd offered that scythe.

Closing her eyes, and steadying her breath, Hinata pumped as much chakra as she could into her palm and prepared to charge. Nodding his approval of her decision Sasuke readied Rebellion and prepared to charge. The two remained motionless for almost a full minute before, as if by some unspoken agreement, they both charged at the exact same time.

With a roar Sasuke brought his sword up and then down into a vicious helm-breaker, seemingly aiming it for Hinata's crown.

Ignoring her instincts as they screamed to dodge, Hinata thrust her palm forward towards Sasuke's chest. But at the last instant, with millimetres to spare, Hinata found she couldn't do it. She couldn't land a potential death blow.

She felt the displaced air as the sword passed her ear. That blade must have been sharp because she didn't even feel it cut through her coat, her shirt or the mail undershirt she wore. It came to a stop pressed gently into the thin flesh of her shoulder.

"Huh… Would you look at that, didn't flinch at all." Sasuke muttered, clearly amused, before speaking loud enough for the entire stadium to hear. "You got me good… I forfeit."

_**XXXXX**_

_**Sorry for it being so short but stuff in RL [job searching and watching Seasons 1 and 2 of Supernatural] has meant I don't really have the time to write fics as much at the moment. Next chapter will see a short Hinata vs. Tenten match followed by Sakura vs. Shikamaru.**_

_**I'm dyslexic, so please point out any mistakes in spelling or grammar [I spell things the way they do in England and Ireland, so some things may look off to Americans]. Please leave your opinion via review or send them via PM, I'd like to know what you think. Well, I think that's everything I've gotta say so, hope you enjoyed the chapter.**_

_**This is Highvalour saying bye and thanks for reading.**_


	53. Devil's Blade: Prologue

_**Taking details and rough outlines from chapters 20 and 51 to work a bit on my old "Devil's Blade" fic idea.**_

_**Like always, I really need feedback on these so I can find out what people like/dislike and so I can work out what areas I need to improve on. So please, review. Another chapter, another attempt to entertain you all. I honestly do not have anything else to add, so on with the show! **_

_**Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.**_

_**Devil May Cry belongs to Capcom**_

_**XXXXX**_

XX Unknown Location, Demon Country XX

It had taken almost two weeks of research and data tracking for Obito, the self-proclaimed 'Madara Uchiha', to find out to location of the demonic portal. Nestled deep in the forests of the rather aptly named Demon Country the ruins lay buried. Pausing for a moment to check the Uzumaki scroll and the notes he'd taken from a dozen scholars scattered across the entire continent Obito checked to ensure he was at the exact location, phasing down through the rock and earth to the ruins would be risky enough without him doing it in the wrong place.

"Yes, this is it… Soon I will be stronger than even Madara imagined, I won't need the Bijuu to create my perfect world." Obito laughed as his Mangekyo Sharingan flared and he descended through the ground beneath his feet. Sinking deeper and deeper, Obito counted the seconds. If he dropped for too long then he'd be unable to flee back to the surface before his intangibility ended… Something he did not want to happen while passing through several tons of rock and earth.

After almost two minutes, just as he was preparing to turn back, Obito felt himself enter some kind of cavern. No light, of any kind, to see by but he could feel himself leave the rock and free-fall towards the cavern's floor. Phasing through the ground and then returning up Obito debated what to do. He needed light but how? The air was thick and stale, meaning there was no way to replace it were he to use a Fire Release technique to generate light.

"And let there be light." Obito muttered as he used a variation of Kumo's Flash Pillar genjutsu to generate enough light to see by.

The great tower wasn't much to look at having mostly crumbled over the eons so that only the ground level seemed to remain, although according to the scroll the tower existed somewhat out of sync with the rest of the world so once he activated the gateway the entire structure should return to its proper form.

Quickening his pace Obito made for the entrance, he had an appointment with the powers of a god.

XX Just Outside Ramen Ichiraku: Konoha, Fire Country XX

As he left Naruto promised Teuchi that yes he would go to his classes tomorrow. Setting off for the apartment complex where he and several other orphans in Konoha's shinobi program stayed the seven year old smiled and whistled to himself, Teuchi had given him two free bowls of ramen on top of the three he'd ordered so Naruto was well and truly fed. Turning down a side street that'd get him home faster Naruto's stomach began to feel weird.

"Urgh, maybe those two extra bowls was a bad idea." Naruto whimpered as the weird feeling quickly progressed into a deep burning pain. Soon the pain was so bad Naruto couldn't stand and dropped to his knees, holding his gut and whimpering from the pain… And that was when the pain began to spread, like liquid fire beneath his skin the pain spread out and traced along a path that Medic-Nin and Hyuuga Clan members would know mapped out a person's chakra circulatory system. As the pain faded Naruto slowly struggled to his feet and limped out onto a main street where another surge of pain once again brought him to his knees with the added effect of making him vomit up all the ramen he'd eaten, along with a mixture of bile and blood. Looking up Naruto gasped. "What's wrong with the sky?"

High above it looked as the early night sky had been set alight, streaks of orange and red shifting and merging high above as in the far off distance a pillar of light rose from the horizon. As he watched the pillar flashed even brighter, causing the red and orange sky to spread and sending a wave of pain through Naruto's body. This happened several times before the pillar became blinding and the pain overwhelming. Naruto blacked out.

"… id! … Id?! … Kid!" Someone was shouting and shaking Naruto as he came back around. "Hey kid! You alright kid?!

"Urh." Naruto groaned as he opened his eyes and found himself staring at a ninja, a jonin from the looks of his jacket. "W-What's wrong with the sky?"

"The sky? Nothing." The jonin grunted as he helped Naruto sit up. "What happened kid, why are you lying here passed out?"

"The sky… That big light…. Made my stomach hurt, really bad." Naruto whimpered as he got to his feet. "It was all red and orange, like it was on fire, and there were things moving in the colours. Like, like monsters and stuff."

"yeah, sure. That ramen puke yours?" The jonin asked, nodding to the still warm pile of vomit by Naruto's head. "Looks like you just ate too much crappy food and it upset your stomach, crap like that'll do it."

"No, no I say it. The pillar made the sky go all weird and made this ring of burning pain on my stomach, you have to believe me." Naruto said, he'd seen it and was scared. When it became clear that the jonin wasn't gonna believe him Naruto stomped away, muttering about how the Hokage would believe him. Naruto had just turned off onto another street when someone called out.

"Hey! Hey kid, stop and get back here!"

Now for most people when someone yelled that after them they'd stop and at least look back but Naruto had been pulling pranks, mischievous and mean spirited, for just long enough that on hearing these words he'd bolt… And bolt he did.

Naruto led the jonin and a chase for several minutes, seemingly able to instinctively know when to dodge and avoid the veteran ninja. The chase might have lasted longer if Naruto hadn't lost his footing along a bank of the Naka River and fell in. Panicking and thrashing about Naruto didn't see the jonin rush down to try and pull him out or the world suddenly blur and distort. He just kept thrashing and trying to get somewhere save.

"Gah!" Naruto yelped as he suddenly landed on top of a glass case, cracking it, and then falling to the ground along with about half a gallon of water. Rubbing his shoulder and getting up Naruto saw he was in some kind of storage room. "How did I?"

Looking into the case he'd landed on Naruto found it contained a funny looking kunai with three blades and weird markings on the handle. Shrugging and turning away Naruto looked for a way out, only to find the single door locked.

Backing away from the door Naruto began searching around the storeroom since it looked like he was stuck there. In a big pile of pages and folders Naruto found a bunch of pictures. Most of them had a guy who looked a lot like a bigger version of him in them. Looking at the face Naruto tried to remember why it looked kinda familiar. Another face that showed up a lot was a pretty looking girl with long red hair and a face that looked kinda like his.

"Who?" Naruto whispered before grabbing at the file and trying to find out who the people where, never mind that he could just about write his own name at this point and so wouldn't be able to make sense of anything in the files. Finding a page with another picture of the girl on it Naruto tried to find something he understood. "Name… Uzu-Uzumaki. That, that's my name! Eh… Uzumaki, Kus-Kushin-Kushina. She's named Kushina, is she… Is she my mother?"

Sticking the page into his pocket, planning to ask someone what the rest said latter, Naruto started looking for something about the man who looked like him. Scattering all the pages that didn't have a picture of the man attached Naruto began to get frantic in his searching.

A loud bang at the door stopped him and made Naruto realise that people where outside. Listening in Naruto realised he was somewhere he really, really wasn't meant to be.

"Someone's breached Storage #112, I repeat someone has breached #112!"

"Put the full Tower under lockdown."

"The Hokage's on his way to open #112, make sure no one escapes."

"Orders are to capture if possible, kill if necessary !"

Hearing this, and remembering the jonin that had been chasing him, Naruto began to panic again and look for some way to get away. Turning on the spot quickly as the world blurred Naruto crashed head first into a bookcase, knocking several novels and another weird looking kunai to the ground.

"Ahhh!" Naruto winched as he rubbed his sore nose. Looking around Naruto found himself in a sparsely decorated apartment. Trying to get his growing panic under control, Naruto went looking for the door so he could try and get home.

The sounds of breaking glass froze Naruto in place, was someone else in the apartment with him? Would he be blamed for the damage? Looking about Naruto spotted a figure in the shadows of the apartment, a tall and almost skeletal figure garbed in a ragged red robe. As he tried to back away the thing focused its biddy red eyes on Naruto and lunged, impacting Naruto with the force of a charging bull and propelling the pair of them out of a window and down to the street four stories below.

As they impacted his attacker seemed to shatter into a pile of sand, while Naruto was less fortunate. Lying there in a broken heap, Naruto couldn't even whimper as a crowd rushed over to check on the child they'd just seen swan dive out a window. As he lay there in agony the crowd commentated.

"Someone get a medic!"

"Hey, that's the Kyuubi's host."

"The hell happened up there?"

"Where'd the other one go?"

As people stood and talked, the bystander effect having taken hold, multiple sounds of breaking glass sounded as more like the thing appeared in the apartment and on the building's roof. A screeching wail alerted the civilians to their presence as the monsters dropped down and began attacking with scythes. The monsters began cutting down anyone who got near them as the crowd panicked and tried to flee.

"Get them! Protect the civilians!"

Several shinobi had arrived and begun to attack the creatures that, although certainly fast, proved no match for trained shinobi… At least until the other kinds started showing up; Some wearing black cloaks that proved even weaker than the red ones, but had numbers on their side. Tall white garbed creatures that appeared able to vanish and reappear at will. Short green cloaked monsters that vomited out bursts of sand and the worst, and most pathetic appearing, that wore simple stripes of cloth and carried massive exploding orbs.

As the monsters used numbers and the alienness of their tactics to slowly gain the advantage against the shinobi who hadn't been involved in investigating the break in at the Hokage's tower and so could respond as quick as possible to the attack. Lying there, forgotten where he'd landed, Naruto could only watch as people and monsters darted about. He couldn't move, in fact it was a miracle he was even alive, and could just hope someone would see and help him.

"Urgh!" Something growled behind him. Acting on instinct more than anything Naruto tried to roll to the side and somehow was able to do so.

"Wh-wha?" Naruto gulped as he watched his mangled hand slowly fix itself. Realising he'd somehow partly healed from the fall Naruto did the only thing he could do, he ran. Running, running and more running Naruto ran as fast and as far as he could but there was nowhere safe as the creatures seemed to be everywhere fighting against shinobi or hunting the civilians. Trying to find somewhere safe to hide, trying to find somewhere far away from the monsters trying to stay alive Naruto just kept running.

"Gaaah!" The roar came from behind him as one of the bomb carrying monsters was cut down in a volley of kunai. The explosion knocking Naruto off his feet and across the street.

"Argh." Naruto hissed as he poked at small shards of stone and metal embedded in his leg. Thinking he heard someone call out to him Naruto looked up just in time to see another bomb carrier die near him and a grey haired ANBU member rushing to try and save him. As the explosive sack hit the ground and detonated Naruto just shut his eyes and waited. When the sounds of chaos disappeared and the blast failed to obliterate him Naruto opened his eyes and looked around. "Huh? W-Where am I?"

Gone were the mayhem and death, the screams and roar of burning fires… In their places were what Naruto guessed the sounds of nature, bugs and animals making noises, and a gentle breeze. Slowing getting to his feet Naruto yelped when something sharp poked him in the butt. Looking down at his feet Naruto spotted an old rusty kunai, chipped and worn so badly most of the blade was gone, with faded markings on the handle.

"Which way… Which way is Konoha?" Naruto wondered as he turned and looked around, no idea where on earth he'd ended up.

_**XXXXX**_

_**Whoa, this was originally going to be the first of three scenes from a new 'Randoms'… Kinda ran away with itself so I'll post it separate and do the [Sasuke focused] others later. This is Devil's Blade, one of my older fic ideas which does predate a lot of the info about Minato's Flying Thunder God Technique [here it's the result of a partly formed Kekkei Genkai derived from demonic ancestors and you know what the details are all in Chapter 20, read it there]. What was happening was that Naruto's ability is teleportation but without any control he'll home in on Minato's special kunai as they are marked with seals designed to act as beacons that drew Minato to them when he teleported.**_

_**Idea here is the partial activation of Temen-ni-gru has weakened the barriers between earth and the Demon Worlds just enough for the lesser demons to break through as well as slowly triggering the latent demonic blood of certain characters [Naruto showed it when he began to regenerate]. The demons breaking through will lead to a massive change in the Shinobi World, with every village effectively going into War Mode to both protect their own and to handle the new missions caused by the creatures… This means everyone either grows up fast [Sakura/Ino being forced to take training serious] and those with effective fighting abilities being focused on and made heroes [Gaara will be the Hero of Suna since his any sand infused with his or Shakaku's chakra can't be used as a medium by the Seven Hells].**_

_**As for Naruto, at first he'll be trying to get back to Konoha but once he finds out what the sheet about Kushina [just basic details like name, rank, etc] and hears about Uzushio he'll focus more on that… Over time realising and growing bitter over the fact that the Hokage must have known about this stuff but never told him. Not an Evil!Naruto or a Dark!Naruto fic, just a Naruto who has decided to focus on himself to stay alive in the hell on earth Obito is willing to cause to get what he wants.**_

_**I'm dyslexic, so please point out any mistakes in spelling or grammar [I spell things the way they do in England and Ireland, so some things may look off to Americans]. Please leave your opinion via review or send them via PM, I'd like to know what you think. Well, I think that's everything I've gotta say so, hope you enjoyed the chapter.**_

_**This is Highvalour saying bye and thanks for reading**_


	54. A Whole New World! 1 Of 2

_**Had originally planned to do a few scenes from a Sasuke focused [I know, I never do that do I?] DMC crossover but Arkham Origins plus Teen Titans Abridged mean I'm in the mood for something heading in the direction of DC. **_

_**Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto**_

_**Teen Titans belongs to Warner Bros. Animation**_

_**XXXXX **_

XX Site of the Final Battle, Lightning Country XX

'_I'm, of all people, regretting my actions?' _Obito wondered as he struggled in this mental 'tug-of-war' against the Naruto and his allies. There, as a ghostly apparition, stood Obito as he might have been. Impossible… Inconceivable!"NO! I will have my perfect world… But if you insist on fighting me, insist on dying, then so be it!"

Pouring all of his will, his hatred on this cursed world, into the battle for the Bijuu Obito began to draw the fragmented Juubi back into himself. As the Shinobi Alliance began to lose ground fear and concern crept into their minds, eating away at their resolve. All save that blasted Uzumaki, the whelp Sasuke and their circle of close friends.

"Konan called you 'The Bridge that leads to peace'!" Obito snarled as his mangekyo flared to life and space began to distort. "So let's see where the road leads once I take that bridge away!"

"Get back!" Sasuke roared as his Susanoo peeled itself away from the Kyuubi's chakra construct and began to swat the shinobi away. "He's going to drag us into the Kamui; we'll deal with him there while you all destroy that tree!"

As Obito warped himself into the pocket dimension of Kamui he used the tug-of-war as a link to drag Naruto and Sasuke in with him, as well as about half a dozen who'd either failed to get back or caught a hold of their own free will.

_**X**_

XX Inside The Kamui XX

As Naruto and the others emerged into the Kamui dimension he gave one last great tug and, to his surprise, a large chunk of the collective Bijuu's chakra snapped free from Obito. As the masses of chakra sought out stability they were pulled into Naruto's seal, fusing to the tiny fragments the Bijuu had left him.

"Whoa!" Naruto whooped as he felt the additional power surge through him. Smirking to himself Naruto began to charge up a massive Tailed Beast Ball only to yell in surprise when the mass of Kurama shaped charka dissolved away. "Kurama, what's going on?"

"**Sorry Naruto, but it seems we may have made a mistake-GAH**" Kurama growled through their link before snarling in pain and going quiet.

"Kurama? Kurama what's happened?" Naruto yelled causing Sasuke to look to the others and ask who Kurama was.

"**Damn it Son, I always knew you were a biter!" **Kurama hissed before the sound of a Tailed-Beast Ball sounded down their link.** "Sorry Naruto… It seems we've failed to free the other Bijuu from the Uchiha! It seems – Gaarrh, stupid fiery furball!"**

"Naruto! What the hell are you doing?!" Sasuke hissed as he and Lee rushed forward to counter an attack by Obito. "Keep Drawing on the Kyuubi's chakra!"

"I can't, Kurama says something is wrong." Naruto yelled back As Choji lunged to the side to avoid a blast of Obito's destructive chakra. "Kurama, what is happening?"

"**The chakra we took from Obito is just that, raw chakra." **Kurama explained**. "Their minds remain trapped within him and so the power we severed is feral."**

"Feral? What do you mean feral?" Naruto demanded to know just before Hinata tackled him aside, saving him from being struck by a flying Tenten.

"**I mean, the chakra has formed into mindless copies of the other Bijuu… Gah!... And these copies are trying to escape from the seal**." Kurama said.** "If they do, things will be bad… That's why I've taken back all my chakra, I need it to stop them escaping."**

"Help! Now!" Kiba bellowed at Naruto just before Sasuke used Susanoo to grab and yank the Inuzuka out of the way of an attack by Obito. "Don't expect a thanks for that, asshole."

"If you didn't make such a good distraction from those of us with actual skills I wouldn't have bothered." Sasuke shot back at the feral looking teen before a ring of black flames surrounded him and shot lunged towards Obito. "Inferno Style: Flame Control!"

Leaping into the air to avoid the black flames Obito realised almost immediately that Sasuke's attack had been a trick. Unfortunately he couldn't react before catching a Vacuum Palm to the gut.

"Passing Fang!" Kiba roared as he spun himself into a vicious drill and crashed into Obito's back, shredding off much of the coat like skin and knocking the insane Uchiha skywards.

"Reverse Lotus!" Lee cried as he opened the Fifth Gate of Limit and leapt upward to deliver a bone shattering beat down.

Before Obito had even hit the ground following Lee's assault Tenten had the Bashosen out and ready to attack. Swinging the fan she sent a vortex of flames at him

"Impressive." Obito muttered before causing the Juubi's chakra to envelop and protect him. When the flames died down Obito dropped the shield and what he saw actually gave him pause. A Gedo Statue sized Choji performing his Human Boulder technique directly above him. "… Huh, clever."

"Hah… haha, we did it guys." Choji laughed once his jutsu ended and he'd reverted back to normal. Turning to look at the damage, which consisted of the prism Obito had been kneeling on as well as nearly a hundred other prisms surrounding it, the young Akimichi let out a sigh of relief.

"Choji look out!" Hinata screamed just before a spike of black chakra shot out from the rubble and dust. Before he could try and dodge the chakra lance speared him through the chest.

"Nice try… But I am far from done." Obito growled as he crawled out of the debris. Looking from the assembled shinobi to the skewered Choji and back, he smiled. Choji's screams of pain echoed across the dimension as Obito made the chakra branch off from his initial lance to tear Choji apart from the inside. "That's another friend you've let die, right Naruto?"

No one moved, to shocked by Obito's survival and horrified by what he was doing to try and help Choji or to attack the quickly regenerating jinchuuriki. Retracting the Juubi's chakra, and waiting until the damage they had done was healed, Obito launched his attack.

Sasuke was pretty sure he felt a few ribs crack as Obito's open palm thrust sent him flying back a good fifty metres and through a raised prism, Kiba howled with pain when Obito snapped his radius and ulna easily, Lee managed to avoid the first attack directed at him but his own counter-attack was caught and used to hold him in place as Obito pummelled him mercilessly. Hinata received a kick to the head that downed her and left massive patches of darkness in her vision.

"The Bashosen… Fitting that I take this, as I am the Sage returned." Obito laughed as he crushed the bones in Tenten's hand to make her release the fan. Once he had it, he discarded her as insignificant. Without any sign of difficulty Obito twisted to avoid Hinata's attempted sneak attack and delivered a devastating downward blow to her back. Before Hinata could get up Obito's foot came crashing down atop her head and pinned her there. Smirking to himself, Obito levelled his hand at the small of Hinata's back and began to gather chakra. "Two dead in under five minutes… Looks like you're losing Naruto."

"Get away from her!" Naruto roared over the whistling from his Wind Release: Rasengan just before the jutsu smashed into Obito's back.

"There you are, I was beginning to wonder if you'd chicken out." Obito chuckled as he stood up and rolled his shoulders, seemingly unconcerned with the shredding and split skin across his upper back.

"I'd never chicken out!" Naruto snapped before dropping into a defensive stance. "I was holding back, fighting smart and it paid off! You aren't using that chakra as often as before, and it isn't keeping its shape as long either… You're weaker than before."

"I'll admit that speck of chakra you took had left me feeling a little out of breath but I'm good now." Obito said before taking a moment to study the Bashosen. "How difficult could it be to use, that girl seemed proficient enough with it."

"No you aren't winded, you weak I can tell." Naruto argued as Shadow Clones puffed into existence around him. "You dodged Sasuke's attack rather than block it, failed to do anything against Hinata, Kiba or Lee when they attacked and you didn't try to shield yourself when Choji crushed you… You've gotten much weaker!"

"Or I let them hit me to show nothing they do can hurt me." Obito challenged as he idly swung the fan back and forth, trying to find the trick to using its power. "To show the futility of opposing me."

"If we can't hurt you, then you won't mind holding still a few more seconds." Naruto smirked as an electrical chirping came from behind Obito.

"What?" Obito gasped as Sasuke tried to cut his head off with a Chidori charged sword swipe. Dropping the Bashosen Obito turned on the spot and caught the blade. Jerking his hand to the side Obito snapped the majority of the sword's blade off and attempted to stab Sasuke with his own chokuto.

"… Thanks." Sasuke said as he landed beside Naruto and watched one of the other boy's clones be gutted in his place. Scanning the battlefield and taking in as Kiba and Tenten helped Hinata and Lee up Sasuke began to formulate a plan. "I've got a plan, think you and your clones can hold his attention while I get the others in position to do it?"

"Hold his attention? Heh, you take too long and I'll finish him myself." Naruto declared, falling back on his old habit of using bravado to cover up uncertainty.

"Sure you would." Sasuke snorted before moving off to speak with Kiba and Hinata.

"Huh, even your oldest friend thinks you're doomed." Obito laughed as several clones charged him. Effortlessly dodging their taijutsu attacks and cutting them down with the blade from Sasuke's chokuto Obito began to advance on his ultimate objective. He would defeat Naruto, he would retake the chakra that had been taken from him and he would claim the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox. Nothing would stop him, nothing!

"I said I'd beat you and Sasuke knows that when I promise something I mean it." Naruto said plainly as he summoned even more clones and charged. "I said I'd beat you and I don't go back on my word!"

As eighteen Narutos closed in Obito adjusted his grip on the shard of metal and attacked. It was easy for the new jinchuuriki to fight, his sharingan and previous experience facing a far stronger Naruto let him dominate the battle. His only real concern being not to gut or behead the real Naruto before he got a chance to take all the chakra contained within his sensei's son.

"Got you!" Lee cried as he rushed in, delivering a flurry of kicks and punches to Obito's midsection. Finishing with a roundhouse kick, Lee knocked Obito towards Hinata.

"Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palm!" Hinata announced as she launched into her clan's taijutsu style. Finishing the technique Hinata flawlessly transitioned into a Vacuum Palm and blasted Obito back.

"Not again." Obito grumbled as his sharingan let him take note of the dozens of explosive tags scattered around his landing zone, remembering his battle with Konan Obito decided that he officially hated explosive tags and they would not exist in his perfect world. Cocooning himself in the Juubi's chakra Obito waited out Tenten's explosions. As the blasts died down Obito realised he'd been caught in the same trap again as he sensed Sasuke's Susanoo manifest right outside his cocoon.

"Burn!" Sasuke ordered as his Susanoo levelled the orb of Amaterasu at the retracting mass of chakra and unleashed a blast of black flames. Sasuke kept the torrent of flames going for several minutes, better safe than sorry, allowing the flames to build into an inferno. Once he was certain nothing could have survived Sasuke dispelled the Susanoo and suppressed the Amaterasu. Taking a few steps into the ash that was once the top six inches of the prism Obito had been standing on Sasuke looked around for any sign of a body. Satisfied there was nothing left for Obito to regenerate from Sasuke tucked the grip and remaining sliver of his sword into his belt and gave the all clear to the others. "Looks like we got him this time."

"Think again." Obito snarled as he warped back into the Kamui dimension right behind Sasuke. Temporally frozen in surprise Sasuke wasn't able to completely avoid Obito's attack, the bridge of his nose and his right eyes paying the price. As Sasuke lay on the ground, clutching at his damaged eye to stop the blood flow, Obito raised the shard of the chokuto he still carried and prepared to finish him. "No big snakes to save you this time."

"Get away from him, Passing Fang!" Kiba roared as he clipped Obito, knocking the chokuto blade from his hand and mangling the limb in the process. As Obito clutched at his wounded hand Kiba skidded to a halt behind him and unleashed a barrage of kunai.

"Nice try." Obito snorted as he raised a shield of black charka to block then. Kneading chakra and preparing to burn the Inuzuka Obito noticed the boy's stance, hunched over and clutching his side while the colour seemed to drain from his face, and laughed. "Sasuke's blade a little sharper then you thought it'd be? Heh no point wasting time on you, you'll be dead in a minute anyway."

"Shut up and... Get away from him." Kiba spat before collapsing to his knees, the blood loss from his wounded flank getting the better of him.

"Sixth gate of View!" Lee hissed as he succeeded in forcing open the internal gate and force out even more power from his body. Seeming to vanish Lee reappeared in front of Obito and began to throw punches. Punch after punch after punch, speed increasing all the time until the Lee's arms vanished from view and the only evidence of his attacks being the small bursts of flame caused by friction. With a bone rattling roar Lee delivered one last punch that sent knocked Obito back so hard he rocketed past the others and embedded himself in a floating prism some distance away. Lee was breathing heavily as his skin returned to normal. Opening his mouth Lee tried to say something but couldn't, instead just falling to the ground as his body proved unable to deal with the strain of the forced opening of the Gate.

"L-Lee?" Sasuke groaned as he crawled over to the strange boy and checked for a pulse. "He... He's alive for the moment, but his pulse is weak... Hey Kiba, are you alright?"

"No, not really." Kiba said as he just lay there, watching as Hinata and Naruto rushed over to try and help him. "I-We're even Uchiha... You saved me and I saved you, so we're even you asshole."

"Touching." Obito spat as he pushed himself out of the prism Lee's last blow had left him embedded in. Falling to his knees, the Juubi's jinchuuriki looked bad. The hand Kiba had mangled was no longer repairing itself, most of his chest was caved in and his jaw seemed to have been reduced to powder. Pushing himself up with his good and taking slow, uneasy steps towards them Obito advanced. _'I will defeat you Naruto, I would retake the chakra that had been taken from me and I will claim the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox. Nothing would stop me,'_ "Nothing!"

"H-How do we stop him?" Hinata asked as they watched Obito slowly make his way back to them.

"He isn't healing anymore... We're wearing him down." Sasuke pointed out as he tore off strips of cloth from his body wrap to use as makeshift bandages for his face. "One last push might finish this."

"How? Hehehe, how do you plan to manage this one last push?" Obito laughed somewhat manically. Raising his one good hand at them he began to increase his pace, although it looked like doing so was taxing. "I destroyed your eye... Without both you... You can't summon your Sus... Susanoo, hehe. A-And Zetsu saw you at the Ka-Kage summit, your right eye controls the flames... W-What do you have left?"

"Fuck you." Sasuke muttered before igniting the area around Obito via Amaterasu, unfortunately Obito half-dodged/half-staggered out of the way before he could catch fire. "Right eyes manipulates Shape, allowing for my Inferno Style, but the flames come from the left."

"I'm gonna end this, I'm gonna hit him with something he won't be able to heal from." Naruto said as two clones appeared beside him and the three began forming a Rasengan. As the orb grew in size it began to emit a high pitched whistling but before Naruto could finish forming his Resenshuriken the ground beneath Obito shattered and eight dogs latched onto him, their weight dragging Obito to his knees.

"Earth Style: Fanged Pursuit Jutsu!" A voice rang out before a more then half-dead Kakashi Body Flickered onto their battlefield. "Sorry I'm late... Got lost on the road of life."

_**XXXXX**_

_**Yeah well this took over a week to finish [Blaming Arkham Origins for that] so I decided to finish this chapter here and do them killing Obito, getting sent to the Teen Titans World [which I'm thinking of fusing with the main DCAU, set after Dick split off from Batman and Batgirl but before the Justice League was formed] and how the different shinobi try and fit in.**_

_**PS, sorry to anyone who's had a character they like die in this chapter... I randomly picked names for who would be dragged into Kamui with Naruto and Sasuke then flipped coins to see who'd live or die.**_

**I'm dyslexic, so please point out any mistakes in spelling or grammar [I spell things the way they do in England and Ireland, so some things may look off to Americans]. Please leave your opinion via review or send them via PM, I'd like to know what you think. Well, I think that's everything I've gotta say so, hope you enjoyed the chapter.**

**This is Highvalour saying bye and thanks for reading**


	55. Another DMC Idea

_**Like always, I really need feedback on these so I can find out what people like/dislike and so I can work out what areas I need to improve on. So please, review. Another chapter, another attempt to entertain you all. I honestly do not have anything else to add, so on with the show! **_

_**Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.**_

_**Devil May Cry belongs to Capcom**_

_**XXXXX**_

XX Unknown Location, Demon Country XX

It had taken almost two weeks of research and data tracking for Obito, the self-proclaimed 'Madara Uchiha', to find out to location of the demonic portal. Nestled deep in the forests of the rather aptly named Demon Country the ruins lay buried. Pausing for a moment to check the Uzumaki scroll and the notes he'd taken from a dozen scholars scattered across the entire continent Obito checked to ensure he was at the exact location, phasing down through the rock and earth to the ruins would be risky enough without him doing it in the wrong place.

"Yes, this is it… Soon I will be stronger than even Madara imagined, I won't need the Bijuu to create my perfect world." Obito laughed as his Mangekyo Sharingan flared and he descended through the ground beneath his feet. Sinking deeper and deeper, Obito counted the seconds. If he dropped for too long then he'd be unable to flee back to the surface before his intangibility ended… Something he did not want to happen while passing through several tons of rock and earth.

After almost two minutes, just as he was preparing to turn back, Obito felt himself enter some kind of cavern. No light, of any kind, to see by but he could feel himself leave the rock and free-fall towards the cavern's floor. Phasing through the ground and then returning up Obito debated what to do. He needed light but how? The air was thick and stale, meaning there was no way to replace it were he to use a Fire Release technique to generate light.

"And let there be light." Obito muttered as he used a variation of Kumo's Flash Pillar genjutsu to generate enough light to see by.

The great tower wasn't much to look at having mostly crumbled over the eons so that only the ground level seemed to remain, although according to the scroll the tower existed somewhat out of sync with the rest of the world so once he activated the gateway the entire structure should return to its proper form.

Quickening his pace Obito made for the entrance, he had an appointment with the powers of a god.

XX Naka Shrine: Konoha, Fire Country XX

Sasuke stood deep beneath the shrine, in one of the hidden chambers his clan had carved into the hill over several centuries to serve as meeting halls and as a vault to their history. He was here because of Itachi, that man, and his cryptic words. It was hard for Sasuke to imagine, his entire clan gone, his entire world had been destroyed in a single night.

"Why did you send me here…. What am I meant to find?" Sasuke hissed as he stared at the large stone tablet that occupied the far wall. He was in the main chamber where, if the mats indicated anything, his clan held their meetings in secret but he couldn't make sense of it. The entire tablet was covered in scratches and strange markings he didn't recognise.

Snarling in rage, since it was clear Itachi's words had merely been lies meant to distract and anger him, Sasuke turned and prepared to leave the shrine. As he made his way back to the ladder that would take him to the surface Sasuke paused, one of the side doors stood ajar. Pushing it fully open Sasuke found himself standing at the threshold of a large storeroom, one which clearly hadn't been used for some time. Dust and cobwebs attested to that fact, although the heavy footprints tracked through the dust said someone had been here before him… Someone like Itachi?

"Is this where I'm meant to find my answers?" Sasuke muttered as he stepped in and triggered a seal array that caused the torches to ignite and illuminate the storeroom. What Sasuke found shock, and disgusted, him. Stored away were numerous statues, tablets and tapestries depicting twisted monsters. Some seemed to be demonic animals, often with flames or shards of ice scattered about them, while some seemed like hideous parodies of people. Grotesque proportions and warped animalistic limbs marred all of them. "I-Is this… Is this what I'm meant to see? What do these things have to do with the sharingan!?"

Moving deeper into the room, past the carvings and statues, Sasuke found over a dozen pedestals. Engraved into each was a complex pattern of seals and wards and atop each pedestal sat an ornate weapon or some exotic looking armour. Leaning against the wall was a large cabinet and, lying scattered on the floor around it, dozens of ancient looking scrolls. Making his way to the cabinet, stopping on occasion to inspect the weapons, Sasuke picked up the first scroll he came across. Opening the scroll Sasuke found he was unable to make heads or tails of what was written, the entire scroll had been encoded in some unknown language.

Cursing bitterly Sasuke tossed the scroll aside only to have it bounce off the only statue of a human. Like the others it was ancient and weathered, so much that the features of the man's face had all but been worn away. All that clearly remained was his spiky hair and the strange pattern in one of his eyes, a series of ripple like rings.

"Who the hell where you? And why'd your statue end up in here with this lot?" Sasuke asked of the statue before turning to leave, having come to the realisation he'd find nothing of use here. As he made his way back past the statues and the weapons something caught Sasuke's eye. A sword, part of a pair, looked to be faintly glowing.

Walking closer and inspecting the sword Sasuke wondered where his ancestors had found it. The blade, and its twin, were long and overly curved with a series of serrated spikes lining the inside curve. They lacked guards of any kind and sported oversized pommels at the end, stylised to resemble shrivelled and shrunken heads. Leaning in closer Sasuke reached out to pick up the reddish one, since it was the one giving off light, but stopped when he heard a whisper behind him.

_'...The weak shall give their heart...'_

Whipping around as fast as he could Sasuke searched for the cause but found no one, just statues and weaponry. Axes, scythes and swords... Although one sword caught his attention. Jet black and straight bladed, looking more like an oversized and elongated kunai, with the guard fashioned like the head of a malevolent dragon was spitting the blade out from its maw this sword struck an unnerving sight. That it was right behind him and where Sasuke thought he'd heard the voice from just made it creepier. Brushing it off as his imagination Sasuke turned back to the glowing sword to find the pommel's eyes had opened.

"AAARRGH!" The sword screamed as the faint light intensified and ignited into an inferno. The scream caused the second, greenish blue, sword to awaken and generate a small whirlwind... A whirlwind that soon caught fire and became a flaming twister.

Screaming in shock Sasuke leapt back and straight into the pedestal that held the black blade. As the sword clattered to the ground arcs of lightning began to dance across its surface. The jolts started small but quickly grew until the sword was the focus of a massive electrical storm. As Sasuke sat there, from with fear, an image flickered between the lightning bolts. It looked like a man in armour, a monstrous set of heavy armour with short, stumpy spikes running up the lengths of the arms. The spikes grew longer, thinner and more ornate as the rose up and crowned the helm which was a more humanoid copy of the sword's guard.

"We Live Brother! The Tower Stands Tall Once Again!" The red sword laughed joyfully.

"Oh Yes Brother, You Are Correct!" The blue sword agreed. "We Must Escape These Bindings, We Must See How The World Has Changed!"

"Yes! Yes, See the World! Experience The Sights, the Wonders And The Challenges That now Exist!" The red sword bellowed, although their words fell deaf on Sasuke's ears as the boy was focused completely on the apparition before him.

Somehow the apparition had become clearer and this new clarity brought with it the horrifying realisation that the thing before him wasn't wearing a helmet, that it had the head of a malevolent looking dragon. A malevolent looking dragon that was looking straight at him.

_'..The weak shall give their heart...' The voice_ whispered again. It was cold, cruel and uncaring in ways Itachi could never be and worst of all, Sasuke realised he wasn't hearing it... The thing was talking in his mind. As the voice sounded the lightning and the figure within if faded. Still ignoring the stalking swords behind him, Sasuke slowly edged away as the black blade began to twitch_. '... The weak shall give their heart... And swear eternal loyalty to me!'_

As the voice finished its decree the blade rose into the air and launched itself towards Sasuke, intending to impale him upon itself. Half diving, half tripping to avoid the sword Sasuke lunged to the side as the blade passed him by and embedded itself into the pedestal the red and blue talking swords rested on, breaking the sealing pattern that bound the swords.

"Freedom!" Both swords yelled at the top of their voices before they dissolved into masses of light and began soaring around the storeroom, colliding with and knocking other weapons or armour pieces from their pedestals. As the black blade struggled to free itself from the pedestal it had embedded itself in Sasuke watched as the weapons and armour pieces began to radiate light and energy before their all shot upward and smashed through the storeroom ceiling, the layer of rock between the hidden chambers and the Naka Shrine and the shrine's roof. As the rubble landed the sounds of battle and panic flooded in warning Sasuke that something was happening out in the village.

_..The weak shall give their heart...' _The voice hissed, causing Sasuke to instinctively dodge just before the blade freed itself and attempted to skewer him from behind.

"Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap oh crap!" Sasuke panted as he ran for the door, ducking and diving behind the statues and stone tablets in an effort to protect himself from the black blade. Making a break for the door, Sasuke sprinted as hard and as fast as he could. Making it out into the hall Sasuke paused for less than a second and paid for it. "GGGAAAAGGH!"

The black blade had caught him, driving itself through his forearm and pinning him to the wall. Whimpering from the eye watering pain Sasuke weakly pawed and pulled at the sword with his right hand.

'_I am Alastor.' _The voice spoke as lightning began racing across the blade and the electrical storm began again. _ '... The weak shall give their heart... And swear eternal loyalty to me!'_

Frantically trying to pull the blade out Sasuke watched as the apparition appeared again. The creature, this 'Alastor', seemed to study him for a moment before reaching out a translucent, clawed hand and driving it into his chest to grip his heart. As the creature squeezed his heart everything grew cold and dull, Sasuke felt his will and life draining away. As the world turned to black, and his limbs became like lead, Sasuke gave one last pull. Strained with all his spent might to try and free himself, and it worked.

Sasuke felt himself hit the ground, he didn't see or hear the impact but he felt himself lying down. As his sight slowly returned, colours blurring in and out of his near non-existent vision, everything in front of him seemed distorted and discoloured. A large streak of his vision was being filtered through something that was twisting and flowing, a mass of greyish blue something was hovering between him and the sword. The sword made a few attempts to break through whatever it was but was deflected. Eventually the sword became a burst of lightning and shot off to who-knew-where.

Looking to his forearm Sasuke took in the deep, bloody hole and twisting electrical burns. As the greyish blue thing faded, along with Sasuke's consciousness, Sasuke thought he saw his skin begin to flicker and glow.

_**XXXXX**_

_**Okay, either a counterpart to the Devil's Blade scene or another storyline set in the same world… Not sure yet. Will most likely come back at a later date and do another scene in each [maybe Naruto getting his Devil Arm/Devil Trigger and Sasuke fully activating the Devil Bringer or something] but for now that's my DMC kick finished, I hope.**_

_**I'm dyslexic, so please point out any mistakes in spelling or grammar [I spell things the way they do in England and Ireland, so some things may look off to Americans]. Please leave your opinion via review or send them via PM, I'd like to know what you think. Well, I think that's everything I've gotta say so, hope you enjoyed the chapter.**_

_**This is Highvalour saying bye and thanks for reading**_


	56. Another Arkham Vigilante

_**Long time ago I did a wee chapter where Itachi banished Sasuke via Kamui after their fight. That idea led into Ouroboros but it wasn't the only possible story I'd had back then. There was a Teen Titans crossover, a Fallout crossover and even an Avatar: The last Airbender crossover but nothing came from them… This was another I'd entertained but quickly discarded, since even I knew it wouldn't work long term. It'll be short, and crap, but I just wanna write and am away from my laptop meaning most of my stuff is not at hand.**_

_**Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto**_

_**Batman: Arkham City belongs to **__**Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment,**_

_**XXXXX**_

XX Ruins Of The Uchiha Fortress, Fire Country XX

"Your eyes belong to me now." Itachi laughed as he stared at the shocked and spent Sasuke. "I'll take them slowly… I want to savour this."

'_Sasuke… Maybe you weren't as strong as I had thought.' _Itachi thought to himself before clutching at his chest and coughing up blood. '_But it shall have to do… I won't be able to protect you any more little brother…'_

Spotting an opening, Sasuke drew a kunai wrapped in explosive tags and launched it at his hated kin. It was pointless however, Itachi's Susanoo simply blocked the explosion with the Yata Mirror it held in its left arm.

'_Yes Sasuke, show me your will… Show me that you have the strength to fight on.' _Itachi thought as he began to slowly advance, twisting the small smile on his face into a cruel smirk as he did is. _'Try and kill me… Try and avenge our clan… Absolve me of my guilt…'_

Itachi advanced slowly, his Susanoo shielding him from the barrage of explosive tipped kunai Sasuke had held back in reserve. Good, Sasuke had other tricks to defend himself with.

"My eyes… My…" Itachi gasped as he reached out towards Sasuke.

"D-Die!" Sasuke screamed, having run out of kunai and rushing forward in desperation to try and pierce the Susanoo with his sword. As he struck the spirit warrior, Sasuke was forced back and his sword sent flying through the air.

'_He'll get you Sasuke… You don't have the power to flee.' _Itachi realised as he watched Sasuke scramble to his feet. Panic and terror in his eyes._ '… Madara will find you, his spy Zetsu is here watching and will summon the madman as soon as we finish… Will my implanted Amaterasu be enough?'_

"Forgive me Sasuke… It ends with this." Itachi gasped as he pumped the last of his chakra into his eyes, his Mangekyo flaring into being. Itachi's Mangekyo was suited towards the big three; Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi and Susanoo and not the lesser jutsu of Kamui or Kotoamatsukami but with enough skill any eye could cast any jutsu. As space and time began to distort around his little brother, the boy Itachi sacrificed everything for, Itachi remembered the night the Kyuubi attacked. He remembered how Sasuke had cried in terror and the words used to calm him. "Don't cry Sasuke… Your big brother is here to protect you, no matter what happens."

As Sasuke was dragged through the Kamui, to be dumped somewhere unknown once Itachi died, the dying Uchiha smiled to himself. He would die happy, knowing Sasuke was safe.

XX The Void Between Dimensions XX

Sasuke fell through the void, confused as to what had just happened. Itachi had been in arm's reach, ready and perfectly positioned to take his eyes but instead he's activated his Mangekyo and cast some kind of Jutsu. Another new Mangekyo technique? God Dammit, Sasuke was beginning to think his kekkei genkai's evolved form came with a 'Do Anything' feature.

As he tumbled through a vast void, Sasuke had no idea what was going on. As the strain from the battle, as well As Orochimaru using the remains of his chakra and the cells Sasuke had integrated into himself to revive, caught up Sasuke could feel himself losing consciousness. As he drifted off into sweet oblivion, Sasuke smiled. He'd seen just how bad Itachi was at the end, there is no way that bastard got out alive.

Pain! Pain jarred him awake. Agony spreading up and through his entire body. He felt like the flames of Amaterasu were burning through his veins. Colours exploded across his vision, images frozen in the light. Foreign garb, unknown landscape, strange jutsu and tools. Another pulse, the pain blinding, and Sasuke felt solid ground beneath him.

"W-where am I?" Sasuke groaned as he looked up towards the sky.

He was in an alleyway, the buildings either side ugly rectangular towers made of dirty stone. Filth and snow lined the alleyway, making Sasuke thing he was in one of the Minor Villages somewhere to the south.

"_Wht ws tht?" _A voice came in an unknown language, the accent different to anything Sasuke knew of.

"cudnt tl yo." Another voice said in the same language as three men came into view. They wore strange flak jackets which seemed to extend down and cover their upper arms as well as the chest, making them distinct from the kind worn by Konoha, Oto or Suna. They carried partly assembled crossbows and lacked any recognisable Village or clan markings. "_Crp, smne ovr tr. Lks njrd."_

That was all Sasuke remembered happening before passing out again.

XX ? XX

"… _As Expected, you are my child." His father's voice sounds surprised, in disbelief that he'd succeed?_

"_When he talks to me, it's only about you…" Mother's tone is soothing, kind but tainted with lies._

"…_I did it to test my strength…" His voice, soft and level. It's only in the eyes you see just what kind of monster That Man really was._

_His mind drags them up, twisted memories tarnished by his exposure to the Tsukuyomi all those years ago. The day his father taught him the Great Fireball jutsu, the day he earned his place as an adult in the eyes of the clan. His mother's last words to him that day, just before he left for the Academy… His brother's reason for what he did, for killing everyone. As memories of his family fade, new ones take their places._

"… _Don't worry, I'll protect you guys. Even if it kills me." Kakashi, his first teacher. __"I… I love you with all my heart! If you were to stay here with me, there would be no regrets… because every day we'd do something fun, we'd be happy I swear… I would do anything for you! So… Please just stay with me!" A declaration of love from a teammate._

"_Even if I have to break your arms and legs, I'm going to stop you!" His only friend, refusing to let him throw away everything._

_A teacher who had trusted him with his most prized jutsu? Or someone who'd tried and failed to bribe him into staying loyal to a Village he cared little for? A chance at happiness or a deluded girl and her lies? His friend, or just a stepping stone to power? He didn't know anymore, didn't know what he remembered and what he imagined… Didn't know himself._

_More images, no sounds just stills… Throwing himself in the way, taking what he'd thought would be a killing blow without thought or hesitation…. Fury that someone hurt his team, the madness of the Seal crushed down by the desire to protect them… A quiet break from training, Kakashi trying to impart some advice._

_The images keep coming, mingling and changing that it becomes hard to follow. He sees Gaara, the monster who became a Kage but hears Zabuza listing the places to attack… A lecture from Mizuki plays over training under Orochimaru's watchful eye… Itachi's words from the battle at the Hideout mar an otherwise relaxing memory of ramen with his team… Then darkness split by a blinding light, and feeling returning to near dead muscle._

"_I know all about your past Sasuke. Even if you get revenge though... it won't bring anyone happiness, not even you Sasuke!"_

"_I know…" He whispers. Sasuke isn't sure if he spoke or if it was memory._

XX Church Of The Blessed Virgin; Park Row, Arkham City XX

"I know…" Sasuke whispered as he woke. The light was blinding after the darkness. Closing his eyes to the light, he listened as he could do little else. The same foreign language, the same strange accents.

He listens and plans. His body hurts, so bad he can barely move. He could use chakra, numb the pain and force the muscles to move but who knows how far he'd make it. What he needs is a plan, he needs knowledge and the only way to get it is to be like Him. Sasuke listens, he waits and when someone approaches he acts.

Eyes snap open, sharingan flares to life and his hand reaches out to prevent their startled screams. Hand closes around the mouth, pulls him close and then the sharingan do their work. Part hypnosis, part mental invasion the genjutsu grants him access to his victim's mind. Once there, he gets to work.

"Language." Sasuke grunts as he begins to steal knowledge from the mind. He needs to know what's being said, that takes priority. After that jutsu, he wouldn't be able to perform anything he learns but it'd give him an idea of resistance he would face… After that he'd take geography, learn where Itachi had sent him.

As he finished taking in the local language pain tore through his arm, breaking his concentration and ending the jutsu. As reality flooded back Sasuke saw what caused the pain. One of the strangely dressed shinobi, dark skin hinting that he came from Lightning Country, had struck him with a thin club. As the man raised the club again Sasuke released the man he'd taken the information from and lashed out, his fist hitting the flak jacket covered stomach hard enough to wind the man.

Shouting from others, he understands two words. 'Hostile' and 'fire', the second one worries him. As the club armed one drags his dazed victim back two more level those partly made crossbows at him, instincts screaming to dodge Sasuke quickly Body Flickers. He barely makes it to his target, some kind of animal statue emerging from the wall above him. Struggling to hold on as his muscles feel like something the Body Flicker nearly tore them apart, Sasuke watches in shock as those funny looking things the men carried produced booms like thunder and fired metal slugs as fast as Zabuza's ice-user could launch senbon.

Pain behind his eyes forces Sasuke to end the sharingan, he's in bad shape. He needs to run, needs to hide and recover. He needs a way out. The booming ends, the two shout something and he gets the words 'you' 'Where' and 'see'.

"Dammit, still haven't processed the knowledge I took." Sasuke hisses as he surveys the area. Strange architecture, many arches and statues. Equipment scattered about, medical from the looks of things. At the far side of a long hall a set of doors, his best bet.

He drops down, landing on the two with the strange ranged weapons. As he passes he grabs their heads, pulls them to the floor with him. They hit hard and their weapons slide away. Sasuke rushes for the exit but the noise attracted attention and three armed men enter. They level their weapons on him and he knows another Body Flicker is out of the question. He dives to the side, spotting stairs through an arch and makes a break for it. Running full sprint up the stairs, Sasuke tries to escape. He's in a tower, the top. Coloured glass makes seeing out difficult and he hears them coming up after him.

"No choice." Sasuke gulps before jumping out, a leap of faith. As he drops he sees rooftops across form him, lower down and a bit of a distance. He has too, otherwise it's the ground and death. Another Body Flicker, this time he isn't as lucky and passes out before landing.

When he wakes up, Sasuke is shivering. Snow has started to fall and he's partly covered in it. Forcing himself up, difficult when he can't feel his hands or feet, Sasuke looks around. The building he escaped from is across from him, he managed to make it.

"Come on, pound him!" A voice comes from below, in an alley.

"If you wanna run with Two-Face you'll have to do better than that!" Another shouts. "Show us just how strong you are!"

Whimpers and pleas for mercy from their prisoner go ignored as the one in orange starts attacking. Sasuke doesn't know why, but he clenches his fists in anger.

"It's a test, strong beating down the weak as a test." He growls as his nails dig into his numb skin so hard he bleeds. Focusing on them Sasuke assesses. Three enemies, two in black with bifurcated masks while another was in orange. A second glance showed four more in black sitting off to the side. "Seven on one, I've beaten much worse."

Finding a fire escape Sasuke dropped down into the alley and called out to the thugs to stop. The confused looks told Sasuke he hadn't spoken in their language so he tried again and got it right.

"Look at this joke, thinks he's some kind of hero!" One of the masked men laughed before picking up a large club and advancing. Stopping just out of arm's reach the masked thug pointed the club at Sasuke's face and continued. "Clear off kid, or we'll use you for the next guy's test."

"No, you won't." Sasuke growled as he noticed five more guys in orange entering from the side. The guy turned to shoot the others a 'can you believe this guy' look before telegraphing his intentions. Sasuke was ducking before he'd even begun to swing and coming back up once the momentum too club over his head, Sasuke's fist found its target and knocked the man flat.

"The hell!" Someone shouted before yelling for everyone to get Sasuke.

Sasuke rolled his eyes, this'd be easy. He was quickly proven wrong. His body still badly injured Sasuke couldn't move as fast or as easily as normal and having become overly accustomed to using his sharingan Sasuke took several hits. As he staggered back from a kick one of the thugs swung another club at his head. Ducking Sasuke countered; shoulder into the gut, right hand clamped onto the guy's knee while Sasuke's left hand caught a grip of his bicep and Sasuke was upright and holding the thug over him. The nearest orange wearing brute soon found his buddy colliding with his chest.

Glint in his hand told Sasuke the next challenger had a blade, which prompted Sasuke to take things very seriously. Leaping over the knife users head, Sasuke abandoned his previous tactic of holding ground. Rushing forward to attack and then retreat Sasuke flowed from one to another. Punches and kicks raining down before any could react. When the knife user tried again Sasuke was ready, snap kick to the knee to throw him off-balance followed up by a flurry of punches to the face to beat him down.

When the last thug fell, finished off with a jaw breaking right hook, Sasuke nearly collapsed. Their victim had fled, leaving Sasuke with no way of learning where he was.

"They used no chakra… No jutsu or fighting style?" Sasuke wondered as he picked the smallest of the unconscious men, the closest to his size, and stripped him of what Sasuke could wear. Booths and socks fit well while top and jacket where a bit on the large size. The man's trousers proved far too big forcing Sasuke to remain in the cheap pyjama bottoms the people back at the lab, or whatever it'd been, had changed him into. Taking another man's jacket for extra warmth Sasuke left the alley. Finding his way into an apartment complex Sasuke burst down a door in search of shelter and better clothing. The stink of rotting food and ransacked look of the small apartment told Sasuke the previous owners of this tiny apartment evacuated in a hurry… Hopefully leaving clothes he could wear. After finding some better fitting clothes Sasuke checked the small kitchen, where the stench was almost overpowering. Checking packaging Sasuke found he could recognise numbers but words still made no sense. "Still haven't finished processing everything… Dammit."

Leaving the apartment, planning to gain access to another that smelled a little less like rot, Sasuke wondered where in the world he'd been dumped by that asshole.

_**XXXXX**_

_**Idea I'd had, ages ago, was for Sasuke to become a kind of makeshift vigilante for Arkham City. Using clothing and equipment taken off gangs and TYGER guards, plus a few things he salvages himself, he'd deal with protecting the Political Prisoners and taking down Zsasz before Batman arrives and manages to uncover the truth about Arkham City. **_

_**Scrapped it because it was pretty limited in what could be done, Sasuke saving random guy from a beating would get very boring quickly while Zsasz would be difficult to impossible to track without Batman's equipment meaning the only way to deal with him would be take his calls and then overpower him once he finally tries to kill Sasuke.**_

_**I'm dyslexic, so please point out any mistakes in spelling or grammar [I spell things the way they do in England and Ireland, so some things may look off to Americans]. Please leave your opinion via review or send them via PM, I'd like to know what you think. Well, I think that's everything I've gotta say so, hope you enjoyed the chapter.**_

_**This is Highvalour saying bye and thanks for reading.**_


	57. A Whole New World! 2 Of 2

_**More from my Naruto/Teen Titans idea. Will probably be a short enough chapter since it's just the end of the prologue. Gonna try and get through everything quickly since I only finished a chapter for Chaos In The Cosmos yesterday and planning on taking a wee break for a while.**_

_**Read, Review, let me know what works and what works not.**_

_**Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto**_

_**Teen Titans belongs to Warner Bros. Animation**_

_**XXXXX **_

XX Inside The Kamui XX

"K-Kakashi sensei...? You're alive!" Naruto exclaimed as Kakashi, barely standing and showing clear signs of both chakra exhaustion and blood loss, Body Flickered onto the battlefield.

"Sorry I'm late guys... Got lost of the path of life." Kakashi joked, quickly looking them over.

"Kakashi... gah." Sasuke groaned as he caught a grip of Tenten's flak jacket and pulled himself up.

"Sasuke, let's save the talk for later... Okay?" Kakashi said, acknowledging his former student for a second before turning his attention to Obito. "He was once my friend and my comrade... I'll take responsibility for him."

"No!" Sasuke snapped as he took a step forward only to collapse to his knees. "Huhuhuh... He, he's an Uchiha. The damages... The pain and suffering... I-I will deal with it... Huhuhuhuh."

"Hah, careful Sasuke. Any more talk of taking responsibility and you'll start to sound like Naruto there." Kakashi chuckled, electing a glare from Sasuke and a hurt look from Naruto for the jab. "Besides, that injury and the blood loss... You're on the verge of going into Shock. I failed, I'll fix this."

"N-No." Sasuke groaned as the colours of chakra faded from his vision and the world grew dull, he couldn't even maintain his sharingan at this point.

"But Kakashi sensei, look at him he's -"Naruto began before Kakashi cut in.

"Naruto, I know you want to prevent as much death as you can. But not now... I have to do this, to atone." Kakashi told him in a tone that brokered no argument. Slowly forming the seals of ox, rabbit and monkey Kakashi activated his one original technique. Charging forward, the electrical charge chirping like birds, Kakashi plunged a Chidori covered hand into Obito's chest. Piercing his old friend's heart. "I'm sorry Obito... Sorry for failing to save you all those years ago, sorry for breaking my promise to protect Rin... I'm sorry I couldn't get through to you when we fought..."

"D-Don't... Don't apologise... Kakashi." Obito gasped as the dogs holding him in place vanished and Kakashi's arm became the only thing keeping him upright. Slowly reaching up with his one good hand, Obito tapped Kakashi on the check and smiled. "You just made this so much easier... Die!"

A flash of black and Kakashi's headless body slumped to the ground, its weight dragging the fatally wounded Obito with it. As he struggled to pull Kakashi's arm from his chest a bestial scream and low hum caused him to look up with just enough time to register the sight of an enraged Naruto, all thoughts of mercy and forgiveness buried by rage, slam a deeply purple Rasengan into his chest.

Naruto, who's own fury had stained Kurama's chakra red, continued to scream as the Rasengan tore through Obito's weakened chest and emerged through the gap between his shoulder blades. As Obito's savaged corpse fell to the ground, his head rolling off a short distance, Naruto knelt over Kakashi's body. Feeling a comforting hand land on his shoulder, Naruto looked up to see Hinata there. Slowly kneeling beside him, Hinata pulled him close and him Naruto sob.

"Guess we showed him, huh?" Kiba laughed dryly, looking to Sasuke and smirking slightly. "How's the eye?"

"Ruined." Sasuke hissed as he pressed the palm of his hand to the crude cloth bandages he'd fashioned in an attempt to steam the bleeding. Dammit, where was Karin when he really needed her? "How's your gut?"

"Ruined." Kiba parroted weakly, causing Sasuke to wish Karin was around for another reason. "Hey asshole, I'm kinda tired so tell everyone to keep it down while I take nap... Will you?"

"Sure." Sasuke promised, not able to look at the boy who was about to die because he decided to save him.

"Thanks." Kiba said softly as he closed his eyes. "Wake me when we've a way... outa... here..."

"Will do." Sasuke said. Sitting there, trying not to pass out from chakra exhaustion, blood loss or just plain old fatigue Sasuke just rested until a very unsettling thought struck him. "Oh fuck!"

"Now what?" Tenten asked from where she was caring for the unconscious Lee.

"Shit, shit, shit... Hyuuga! Hey Hyuuga!" Sasuke yelled as he struggled to his feet and limped towards Naruto and Hinata. "Hey Hyuuga, pick a direction and tell me what's happening as far away as you can!"

"What are you doing?" Tenten shouted after him only to be ignored as Sasuke continued yelling at Hinata.

"O-Okay." Hinata said as she activated her byakugan and expanded her range of vision as far as possible. "It's shrinking... The world is getting smaller!"

"Wha-What's that mean?" Naruto asked, wiping his eyes on his sleeve and looking from Sasuke to Hinata and back.

"**It means killing the Uchiha may have been a mistake." **Kurama growled in the back of his mind, the fox having finally managed to temporarily subdue the fragments of the other Bijuu.** "With him and Hatake dead, there is nothing to sustain this artificial world... Without an active sharingan maintaining it, this pocket dimension is collapsing in on itself."**

"... World is falling in on us." Sasuke finished as Naruto came back to his surroundings. "I don't know how long we have."

"Oh come on!" Tenten yelled as he carried Lee over to them. "Can't we catch a break?"

Almost as if in answer to her question, the prism she'd just been standing on cracked then shattered. Soon all the prisms around them had begun to slowly crumble away as the 'walls' and 'sky' of the pocket dimension began to crack, revealing a great white void.

"Oh great." Tenten snapped. "We either get crushed by the world folding in on itself or we fall through a hole into... That!"

"I'd take the void over being crushed, personally." Sasuke noted as he stared into one of the cracks.

"**As much as I hate to say agree with one of the Uchiha, and I absolutely loathe agreeing with them, he has a point." **Kurama said to Naruto. **"At least in the void there is the chance to survive, even for a short while... If we remain, we'll be crushed to nothing by this fake world."**

"Yeah, but how would we fit through those tiny cracks?" Naruto asked aloud.

"If we could just widen a crack enough to slip through." Sasuke whispered to himself, trying to come up with a plan to get them out of this.

"**Enough power and we might be able to blast through." **Kurama suggested, a fiendish plan forming in his mind.** "Naruto, get ready. When I say to, prepare to fire off a Tailed-Beast Ball!"**

"Wha?! I thought you needed your power to hold back the other Bijuu?" Naruto said, confusing everyone since they couldn't hear Kurama's voice.

"**Oh the contrary, little human." **Kurama laughed. **"I'm going to let them go, straight into the Tailed-Beast Ball!" **

"Huh?" Was all Naruto could manage as a reply.

XX Deep Inside The Eight Trigrams Seal XX

As Kurama felt traces of his chakra being drained by Naruto, the boy having begun the process for forming a Tailed-Beast Ball, he knew he wouldn't have long before the fragments of his 'brothers' overpowered him and attempted to break free.

'_Funny.' _Kurama thought as he caught a grip of Matatabi's manifestation and drained it got power to fuel the Tailed-Beast Bomb. _'Less than a week ago I would have let them loose, used them as battering rams to escape from this prison… Now, now I'm actually fighting to save you Naruto. You are remarkable.'_

As if sensing his weakening, or what he planned for them, the other masses of chakra attacked on mass once the Two Tails was gone. Biting, slashing, spitting in eyes stamping on feet and strangling with tails… Kurama remembered why the Bijuu rarely, if ever, bothered to meet up these days.

"**Kurama! You ready to fire?" **Naruto's voice came through their link.

"Not yet Naruto." Kurama growled before grabbing the head of Isobu's chakra and draining it for the technique. "Keep charging as much as you can, I'll tell you when to fire."

"**Okay."** Naruto replied. **"It's just that things are getting kinda cramped out here, our tails are tipping the walls at this point."**

"Then I'll have to drain faster!" Kurama snarled, latching onto the copies of both Son Goku and Kokuo to cannibalise both at once. "Just. Keep. Charging!"

"**Alright, we're counting on you." **Naruto said before ending the link. Kurama didn't bother to reply, just struggled to hold off the fake Seven Tail's attacks while he drained the chakra of Saiken… And tried not to throw up at just how gross his 'sibling' was to touch.

XX Inside The Kamui XX

Suspended in the massive chakra construct of the Kyuubi the surviving members of Konoha's ninja force, and Sasuke, watched as Naruto visibly strained to contain the volatile and unstable mass of chakra clenched in the construct's jaws.

The 'walls' and 'roof' and the Kamui Dimension had compressed so much around them that the construct's ears lay flat against its head and its tails had to be tucked in under it. The way things looked they had minutes, maybe less, before they were crushed.

"Whatever you're waiting for, don't!" Sasuke advised as the construct's arms and legs were forced closer to the main body and its head forced downwards. "Fire the damn attack!"

"I can't." Naruto groaned as he struggled to keep the orb of chakra together. "Kurama hasn't told me to fire yet."

"Who, the fuck, is Kurama?" Sasuke spat, the idea of being crushed to death inside a giant chakra fox causing him to lose his composure a little bit.

"Kurama is the Kyuubi's name." Naruto managed as the orb pulsed orange and Kurama's voice sounded through his mind.

"**FIRE!"**

"Gaaaagh!" Naruto roared as he unleashed the Tailed-Beast Ball directly at the large crack in the 'wall'. The sheer power, focused on that one weakened point, began to widen the crack and weaken the entire world. The cracks spread, covering the entire sphere they stood within, but never widened enough for anyone to slip through.

"It's not enough. What do we do now?" Tenten asked.

"We need more power, just a little more and we'll be through." Hinata said, but where to get the power from. Lee was unconscious and badly injured, Sasuke was nearly as bad from chakra usage and blood loss while she and Tenten had both been running on trace amounts of the chakra Naruto had given them before they'd been dragged into this world… No one could spare the power.

"We'll make it. I promise." Naruto said through gritted teeth. As he spoke, the power of the Tailed-Beast Ball began to increase and the chakra construct began to erode.

"**Yes… Yes you will." **Kurama's voice was weak, barely coming across in Naruto's mind.

XX Deep Inside The Eight Trigrams Seal XX

Kurama, his body withered and heavily emaciated struggled to force more of his own power into the attack.

_That kid, like a virus.' _Kurama thought as his vision faded away._ 'Incurable, unblockable… Once he gets you you're on his side.'_

**Kurama, Kurama it's working." **Naruto's voice boomed.** "We're nearly there, just a little while longer!"**

"Good." Kurama managed to say as he felt his body fade away, everything was going into this attack.

"**Kurama, buddy, what's wrong**?" Naruto asked, having heard how weak Kurama sounded.

"You know Naruto… Since Hagoromo you've been the first to really care." Kurama said in between laboured breaths. "Madara wanted me for power… Hashirama saw me and the others as tool to bargain for peace… To his wife, Mito, I was just a threat to be locked away… Your mother saw me the same…. But you, you actually did the impossible! You befriended me."

"**Kurama, what are…? What's happening?" **Naruto asked worriedly.

"I'm seeing to it that you live." Kurama told him before pumping the last of his chakra, the last of himself into the attack.

XX Inside The Kamui XX

One final push, one last blast or pure power and they were through. The world of Kamui shattered and the shinobi, no longer held in Kurama's chakra, fell into the void in the wake of that one final blast. Falling, falling through infinity and struggling to stay together.

Naruto caught a grip of Hinata's hand but missed as he reached out for Lee. Tenten and Sasuke managed to grab one another but an impact with Obito's corpse knocked them apart. Soon they couldn't see one another, soon their eyes filled with light and their ears with noise.

XX Somewhere along the Amazon River, Brazil XX

A flash of light, a blast of sound and he hit the ground. Hard. Rolling down the earthy embankment he came to a stop in the shallows of a river. Groaning in pain, and on the verge of passing out, he managed to roll over onto his back. With vision blurring Sasuke looked to the night's sky, searching for a constellation he recognised. Searching for some sign he'd recognise.

XX Hong Kong XX

A flash of light, a blast of sound and she was falling towards the ground far below. Startled and exhausted it took a second for her to think, a second to act. A quick Body Flicker and Tenten landed on the roof of a tall building. Looking out at the skyline, at towers that dwarfed anything in Konoha and stretched on for miles, Tenten wondered just where she'd landed.

XX Berlin, Germany XX

A flash of light, a blast of sound and he hit the ground. People were screaming in panic, calls being placed to authorities and emergency services as Lee lay there in the middle of the street.

XX Jump City; California, U.S.A XX

A flash of light, a blast of sound and they were in the middle of a battlefield. Strange men in armour, carrying funny looking weapons, fought an even stranger group. An orange girl who flew and sent blasts of green chakra from her hands. A green boy who could change into green animals instantly. A tall man, covered in silver armour, with a cannon for an arm. Another girl, dressed in blue and black, floating and moving things with black energy. And finally, a boy about their age dressed in red, green and black locked in a taijutsu fight with one of the guy's in dark armour.

Neither Naruto nor Hinata knew who to help until one of the guys in dark armour tossed what turned out to be a bomb towards a nearby group of innocent people. This act was enough to convince Naruto that those where the bad guys and, with half a dozen shadow clones, he charged forward.

_**XXXXX**_

_**Last few scenes are crap, more pointers for myself to flush out better if I do more with this story. The shinobi have arrived somewhere around four to six months before Slade sends the H.I.V.E students against the Titans, the Titans themselves have been together for maybe three months or so… In relation to the wider DCAU they arrived sometime Robin and Batman [plus Batgirl] had their falling out but before Tim became Robin.**_

_**I'm dyslexic, so please point out any mistakes in the spelling or grammar [I use the Irish/English spelling structure, so some may look off to Americans]. Please leave opinions and comments via review or PM, I can't improve without feedback. Well, that's everything I've got to say… Thanks for reading.**_

_**Highvalour saying thanks for reading.**_


	58. Random Scenes 4

_**Few Random ideas, stuff I've been stewing on for a while on but either haven't gotten around to or just stopped really caring for.**_

_**Read, Review, let me know what works and what works not.**_

_**Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto**_

_**The rest belongs to whomever**_

XX ROOT Headquarters; Konoha, Fire Country XX

Danzo sat in his office going through reports. It was done. Orochimaru had attacked Konoha and inflicted considerable damage, both to infrastructure and to Konoha's military might… Just as he'd gambled. Danzo was loyal, a fanatic really, to Konoha but he knew the Village had become complacent. He'd watched for years as his old friend Hiruzen Sarutobi, though good intentions and 'thinking of the children', let Konoha rot. It was why he had allowed, why he'd actively added, in Orochimaru's plans.

Konoha was not a mighty tree, as many liked to describe the village, but was in fact a forest. And in forests, sometimes, some trees grow so great that they drain everything around them. They starve the younger saplings of the vital nutrients, trials and skills, needed to flourish… And like many forests, fire is both inevitable and sometimes welcome. Burning away the old, the weakened and the sickly the fire destroys those who drain the nutrients and provides the ashes to feed the starving saplings. Danzo's agents had ensured that Oto and Suna had breached the walls at specific points, while preventing other sections from seeing combat. This controlled burn had left many dead, many more injured and the entire Village crying for retaliation. While he regretted Hiruzen's passing, a hand in the death of one's oldest friend is difficult for even the coldest of hearts to ignore completely, Danzo knew it would lead to a greater Konoha.

"The people cry out for blood." Danzo smirked as he added another name from the casualty listings to his pool of 'potentials'. There were so many injured, some untreatably so, that Danzo knew he would have no shortage of volunteers for the serum his researchers had been developing for months now.

Based on notes and almost decade old samples recovered from one of the many hidden laboratories Orochimaru had abandoned following his discovery and defection from the Village the serum would ensure that Danzo's vision of Konoha, strong and unmatched, would come true.

_**XXX**_

XX Hyuuga Compound; Konoha, Fire Country XX

Neji sat on the floor of his room, quiver and bow lain out before him. Today was the big day, the finals of the Chunin Exams! He'd done it, made it this far and all through his hard work.

"Suck on that, Grandfather." Neji muttered to himself as he picked an arrow from his quiver and examined it. To the naked eye a normal shaft and head but a quick glance with the byakugan showed the truth. Tiny seals engraved along the shaft, crude compared to the ones on the Uchiha's equipment, revealed just how far from the 'traditional' Neji had strayed. Not only had he shunned the Gentle Fist for a hunter's tool, but he employed sealing arts as well. "I really owe Tenten a big gift for swiping that belt in the forest… Should give it back to the Uchiha though, wouldn't want him after me."

Sasuke Uchiha. He'd been in Hinata's class originally, according to his records anyway, but had graduated at the age of nine. Still a genin with around sixty D-Rank and fifteen C-Rank missions completed before transferring onto Hatake's team, jonin comments all interchangeable and neutral… Even Lee could see those records where fake.

"Equipment like that, and skills like those, aren't genin level." Neji thought aloud as he loaded his quiver with a mixture of normal and modified arrows, reflecting on the Uchiha's fight against the Akimichi heir.

Now there was a monster! Kid had apparently taken an experimental version of some kind of combat pills the Akimichi used to help with techniques and found out the hard way the effects where very off. Sure he'd lost pretty much every gram of fat on his tubby little body but instead of trading it for a metric-fuckton of chakra, as was meant to be the norm, his body had used all that chakra to promote muscle growth. Lots and lots of muscle growth. So much muscle had developed so fast that Hinata claimed, based on what she'd heard after this Choji kid had returned to class following the incident, he was forced to constantly use his clan's Expansion Jutsu to keep his skeleton and skin big enough to support it all. Chakra into muscle, and raw strength, meant a boy barely older then Hinata could do what it had taken Neji's sensei years of training and mastery of the Internal Gates to achieve… He could embed his arm, elbow deep, in solid concrete with a simple jab!

Against that most people probably weren't surprised the Uchiha had given up fairly quickly, fancy acrobatics and stick fighting were no match against that kind of power, but Neji knew differently. He'd seen the Uchiha fight those Oto ninja. Saw that kid dismantle three ready and skilled opponents in seconds. No, the Uchiha held back. Might have even thrown that match on purpose. Question was why?

Knock! Knock! Knock!

Rising quickly and crossing the room, Neji opened the door and prepared to bow if it was a Main House member. Instead he found his cousin Tokuma, a fellow Branch Member. His older cousin, second cousin twice removed or something actually, gave a polite nod of greeting and then tilted his head to the side. Glancing to where Tokuma had nodded Neji saw Hanabi, the younger heiress.

"Again?" Neji sighed dramatically, completely ignoring all kinds of protocol as he stepped aside and let his little cousin rush into his room. Catching the barely hidden grin on Tokuma's face Neji knew something had happened, something involving Hanabi. "What?"

"Elder Hasihi was on the verge of pulling his hair out and ordered me to, and I quote, 'get that blasted brat out of here before she drives me crazy!'." Tokuma chuckled. "Seems young Lady Hanabi's birthday is coming up soon and she wanted her grandfather to get her something extra special."

"Hahaha, I can guess what she wanted." Neji snorted before clearing his throat. "Hanabi, careful with that!"

A soft 'eep' proceeded the sound of Neji's bow clattering on the ground. Shaking his head at the young girl's actions Neji just continued talking with Tokuma.

"So, you got babysitting duty?"

"HEY! I'm no baby!" A tiny voice squeaked from the location of his bed.

"Nope, that's Ko's job today." Tokuma said happily. "He's the one who'll be taking her to the stadium ahead of time and meeting Lord Hiashi there."

"Really? Because I'll be heading off in about an hour, I could take the kid and hand her off when Lord Hiashi arrives." Neji offered.

"Yeah! Yes, yes yes." Hanabi began shouting, and jumping up and down on his bed as she did so. "I'll go with Neji and then meet Father there, let's go!"

"I said in an hour, if you wait until then I'll get you ice-cream as well." Neji told her causing Hanabi, who'd been in mid-air when he spoke, to land heavily on his bed and sit perfectly sit. The kind of angelic smile that told you mischief was fore coming adorning her face. Turning back to Tokuma, and giving the closest thing a Hyuuga could to an eye-roll, he went on. "Tell Ko I've got her, and to meet me at the Stadium."

"Eh alright." Tokuma said with a shrug before wishing Neji good luck and leaving.

Re-entering his room, and ignoring the little girl wearing one of his hooded tops like a cape, Neji began sorting his arrows again. After she got bored sitting quietly, Hanabi began peppering Neji with questions about the bow, the arrows and the little seals carved into them.

_**XXX**_

XX Unknown Location, Demon Country XX

It had taken almost two weeks of research and data tracking for Obito, the self-proclaimed 'Madara Uchiha', to find out to location of the demonic portal. Nestled deep in the forests of the rather aptly named Demon Country the ruins lay buried. Pausing for a moment to check the Uzumaki scroll and the notes he'd taken from a dozen scholars scattered across the entire continent Obito checked to ensure he was at the exact location, phasing down through the rock and earth to the ruins would be risky enough without him doing it in the wrong place.

"Yes, this is it… Soon I will be stronger than even Madara imagined, I won't need the Bijuu to create my perfect world." Obito laughed as his Mangekyo Sharingan flared and he descended through the ground beneath his feet. Sinking deeper and deeper, Obito counted the seconds. If he dropped for too long then he'd be unable to flee back to the surface before his intangibility ended… Something he did not want to happen while passing through several tons of rock and earth.

After almost two minutes, just as he was preparing to turn back, Obito felt himself enter some kind of cavern. No light, of any kind, to see by but he could feel himself leave the rock and free-fall towards the cavern's floor. Phasing through the ground and then returning up Obito debated what to do. He needed light but how? The air was thick and stale, meaning there was no way to replace it were he to use a Fire Release technique to generate light.

"And let there be light." Obito muttered as he used a variation of Kumo's Flash Pillar genjutsu to generate enough light to see by.

The great tower wasn't much to look at having mostly crumbled over the eons so that only the ground level seemed to remain, although according to the scroll the tower existed somewhat out of sync with the rest of the world so once he activated the gateway the entire structure should return to its proper form.

Quickening his pace Obito made for the entrance, he had an appointment with the powers of a god.

_**X**_

XX Kazekage's Residence; Suna, Wind Country XX

Yashamaru finished donning his gear and slipped on the cloth mask. He'd been ordered to try and kill his young nephew Gaara, a final test to gauge the boy's control the Kazekage had said. Yashamaru hated himself, and his brother-in-law, for what he was about to do. He was betraying his sister Karura and he was betraying Gaara's trust but, as a loyal shinobi of Suna, he had to fulfil his Kage's orders.

Checking he had his kunai and the explosive tags Yashamaru left the small side room he'd been preparing in. It was the night of a full moon and so Gaara would be on the roof, a side-effect of the Shukaku influencing him. Creeping to the rooftop Yashamaru found Gaara, just sitting there. The boy was so small, so fragile... Yashamaru didn't think he could do it but he steeled his nerve, Gaara had attacked and killed a citizen earlier that night. Less than an hour after they had spoken and Gaara had taken some of his ointments to deliver to the child he'd accidentally hurt.

'But... Was it?' Yashamaru found himself wondering. 'Had Gaara lashed out subconsciously or had I saved his first victim? Was... Was Gaara losing control to the Tailed-Beast or to his own instability?'

While he'd been preparing to attack the sounds of smashing glass came from below. Was the Village Council throwing another fit over Gaara's actions? Was the Kage venting over having issued a death warrant for his own child? Yashamaru didn't know, and, right now, he didn't care. He'd be dead in minutes and Gaara, Karura's little boy, would be broken.

As Yashamaru drew his kunai and prepared to attack the sounds of screams came from below. Movement to his right, a streak of red, closing in on Gaara made Yashamaru act on reflex and skewer the unknown with half a dozen kunai. The thing, and it was a thing, skidded to a halt by Gaara revealing itself to be some kind of skeletal creature garbed in a ragged red cloak. It spasmed for a moment as it tried to right itself before dying and dissolving into a pile of sand. More screams, more smashing glass and more blurs moving across the distant roofs.

"The Village, it's under attack." Yashamaru gasped before looking to Gaara, the young child watching him with suspicion. "Gaara, go inside and hide. Now!"

"U-Uncle Yashamaru?!" Gaara said in surprise. He didn't move, too caught up in surprise and fear. It took an almighty roar from Yashamaru to get the boy going.

With Gaara hopefully safe and out of the way Yashamaru set off in search of the Kazekage.

_**X**_

XX Main Street; Suna, Wind Country XX

Suna's Forth Kazekage, grandson of a Lightning Country immigrant and sole remaining barer of the Recessive Magnet Release, screamed in rage as three more of his shinobi were cut down. Directing his gold dust to kill two of the monsters he magnetised the kunai that one of the fallen kunoichi, using them to repeatedly impale the scythe wielding thing that had killed her.

As the monsters collapsed into piles of sand, which weren't the result of several Replacement Jutsu, the Kazekage cursed under his breath.

"Sand! Dammit... Is this some new power of the Shukaku?" He wondered as his forces pushed the monsters back. Behind the shinobi lay the Village shelters, where the weak and helpless were. If he or his troops failed to stop the assault then those people would die, and with them the Village. "Did Gaara lose control and make these as punishment?"

"Milord!" A voice rang out as a cloth masked shinobi Body Flickered to his side. It was Yashamaru!

"You! H-how?" The Kage gasped. While he was happy to see Yashamaru, the man was his 'Right Hand' and his late wife's younger brother, he had ordered Yashamaru to attack Gaara as a final test. How was Yashamaru still alive?

"My lord, do we know who is attacking the Village?" Yashamaru asked, ignoring his leader's dumbfounded look of surprise at his presence. "They aren't wearing any Village markings and barely look human."

"Until a moment ago I'd thought it was Gaara and the Shukaku" The Kazekage snapped as he snatched several of the agile red-cloaks from the air with his gold dust and slammed them down, hard. "But if you're alive I'm guessing that isn't the cause."

"No Sir, one of these things tried to attack Gaara." Yashamaru began to report as he let loose with Wind Release jutsu and kunai. "I ordered him back into the tower to hide and came here as quick as possible to report."

Before he could go on the sounds of a distant explosion from the direction of the Kage's Tower drew their attention just in time to see an entire level of the building explode in a blast of glass and chakra-infused sand.

_**XXXXX**_

_**Let's stop it there.**_

_**First scene is a the beginning of several possible fics that draws upon old first fic [Hunter's Moon] and several discarded ideas I've thought up in the past. I may dedicate a future 'Random Scenes' to just those ideas [Lee becoming the Flash, Choji as Comicbook!Bane, Kiba as Sabretooth and/or ROOT ninja and Sasuke as Captain America/Deathstroke]. Some of the ideas tie in to Shinobi Comics, others are based on dumped plots I thought up ages ago.**_

_**Scene Two is from Shinobi Comics. Shows the massive changes Hiashi's decision to support Neji had on his nephew and daughters. Also outlines Shinobi Comics Choji [uses modified version of Akimichi Pills to become Bane], hints at SC!Tenten as Catwoman [managed to steal Sasuke's records from the Tower] and shows that Sasuke didn't make it through the Pre-Lims [while hinting at him throwing the fight for some reason].**_

_**Final Scene is set in the same vein as my other DMC crossovers, not sure which if either it'll tie in with at the moment, and shows how Suna dealt with the Seven Sins Invasion. Expect a lot of altered backstory and characterisation once I return to that world.**_

_**I'm dyslexic, so please point out any mistakes in the spelling or grammar [I use the Irish/English spelling structure, so some may look off to Americans]. Please leave opinions and comments via review or PM, I can't improve without feedback. Well, that's everything I've got to say… Thanks for reading.**_

_**PS: Anyone else having a problem where they upload a file to the site and everything they've underlined has had the formatting changed? Or is that just me?**_

_**Highvalour saying thanks for reading.**_


	59. Maybe Next Time

_**Similar to Nipped In The Bud from way back. Little scene. Pretty sure there's at least one fic out there with this basic plot out there already.**_

_**Read, Review, let me know what works and what works not.**_

_**Naruto Belongs To Masashi Kishimoto**_

_**XXXXX**_

XX Hokage's Tower; Konoha, Fire Country XX

Kakashi Hatake stood in the crowd of gathered jonin, all active sensei of teams currently in Konoha at the moment, as the Hokage went through some of what he thought where crucial points to make since five of the Hidden Villages had accepted Konoha's offer to attend the exams this year. As the names of the accepting villages was repeated for the fourth time Kakashi wondered if this was to let the jonin pass on advice or simply to make sure everyone remembered who'd snubbed the invitations. Employing the type of mental multitasking that allowed him to read his beloved books and easily read/walk/spar with would-be genin Kakashi paid the Hokage his full attention, while checking out the reflection of the man's future daughter-in-law without being noticed. Jiraiya would be proud.

"Now, first we'll hear from those teaching the newest graduates from our Academy System." The Hokage announced, alerting Kakashi to the fact that he'd just asked for participants. "Well Kakashi? Kurenai? … Asuma?"

While those gathered waited for an answer, Kakashi found himself stumped! He'd been planning to enter them ever since the events in Wave Country, to him the team had proven they could at least survive what a 'Normal Konoha Exam' had to offer… But these last few missions, the teamwork and comradeship just wasn't there. And, when he actually took the time to think about it, he had to admit they'd only won because Sasuke had made what he thought was a heroic sacrifice to save Naruto and Naruto had only beaten that masked kid because he'd been driven berserk by the Kyuubi's chakra… Not exactly circumstances he could hopefully had happen again and expect to keep his command position.

Why Kakashi had been reflecting on if the team would survive, either literally or metaphorically, the Hokage had still been talking as he filled time in between asking for answers and someone actually giving one. Finally tiring of his jonin standing there waiting for one of the others to give and answer, which they'd most likely base their own on, he just turned to Kakashi and asked the man directly.

"I eh… Genin Team Seven consisting of Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno…" Kakashi began before trailing off. He wasn't sure. It'd been a bit of a shock to him that Naruto and Sasuke had taken a good three or so days to fully get the Tree Walking Exercise down, he'd handled that in under an hour when he was less than half their age! Reaching a decision, and trying not to let any emotion show in his voice, Kakashi continued. "… I, Kakashi Hatake, will not do nominating them for this year's Chunin Exams… I feel-"

"Thank you Kakashi." The Hokage said quickly, cutting off the grey haired shinobi before his words could influence the other two jonin. "I will come back to your reasoning once I have heard from the other jonin present… Now, Kurenai?"

XX East bridge Over The Naka River; Konoha, Fire Country XX

He arrived at his team's meeting point just in time to overhear Sakura complain about not having the time to blow dry her hair and Naruto admit he didn't bother to brush his teeth this morning, two little facts that only served to reinforce Kakashi's belief he'd made the right call. Calling out a greeting in as cheery a voice as he could manage, Kakashi drew their attention to him.

"Where were you?!" Sakura yelled as he dropped down onto the bridge and smiled at them beneath his mask.

"Seeking guidance from my old master." Kakashi said cryptically, and this time his excuse was true. Rather than just stare at the stone pillar and reflect on how he'd failed everyone he'd tried to imagine what Minato-sensei would do in his place… Unfortunately since asking Jiraiya or raiding Kushina's sealing textbooks wasn't an option he'd have to try and teach, someone up there hated him. "So things are going to be happening in the next few weeks and I needed a little help on working it out."

"These things have anything to do with an upcoming exam?" Sasuke asked, the underlying question of 'are we in it?' pretty clear.

"Oh, so someone let the cats out of the bag about that then?" Kakashi laughed before waving his hand in front of his face as if to swat away the question. "Oh it promises to be interesting, almost ninety genin from Konoha will be competing against the best five different Villages have to offer. Skills will be tested, reputations made and lost… I can feel it in my bones, this year will see an exam people will be talking about for years to come. I'll see about getting tickets if you want?"

"What?!" The three genin yelled at him, apparently they'd all been wanting on some level to compete and where now rather peeved at not being allowed too.

"Wait, you all thought you'd be taking part? That's… That's… Hahahahaha!" Kakashi began before breaking out into a fit of laughter. Wiping an actual tear from his eye Kakashi went on to explain why that idea was just so laughable, completely ignoring just how close he'd come to putting them in the exam. "You three have less than a full year's experience between you! You barely survived the battle on the bridge and it was just a one S-Rank Missing Nin, the sidekick doesn't even register… Between the three of you I think I could make one decent special-jonin, and that's if I cherry-picked the best qualities from you all!"

"That… That's a bit harsh, isn't it sensei?" Naruto said in a soft voice, his lip quivering and tear welling up in the corners of eyes. One solid smack to the side of the head, which caused his head to hit Sakura who in turn dished out a sideways headbutt to Sasuke like a highly Newton's cradle, convinced him to drop the 'hurt feelings' act.

"But you three are in luck because three people who owe me favours will soon be free to dedicate a full day to helping you all improve." Kakashi announced as he handed out a picture of Asuma, Kurenai and Guy to Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura respectively. "These three will be helping you all improve on some vital areas… Sasuke, you'll be spending one day a week with Asuma. He teaches the current 'Ino-Shika-Cho'. He'll be helping you with patience, strategy and improving your chakra to fuel those taxing Fire Release techniques all you Uchiha favour… Favoured."

"So you're just flogging us off to these jonin…?" Sasuke asked dryly as he decided he'd be looking into what forms one filled in to request a transfer, preferably to a sensei who could and would actually teach!

"Yep." Kakashi said happily before turning to Naruto. "That is Kurenai Yuhi, she teaches the team with the Hyuuga, the Inuzuka and the Aburame. She'll be working on your chakra control and trying to fill in some of the blanks all those skipped classes left in your education… Don't complain, do it and when you're done we'll start working on expanding your arsenal of techniques."

"So what, if I improve my chakra control you'll teach me a super-awesome new jutsu?" Naruto asked.

"Yes, if you improve your control enough to work the jutsu and can pass a simple academy exam." Kakashi promised as he turned to face Sakura. "And lastly… That's Guy, and I am sorry."

"For what?" Sakura asked slowly, the look her sensei was giving her made her very afraid.

"Guy is… Eh… Well, Guy is Guy! And I've instructed him to go very easy on you, treat you like a toddler easy in fact." Kakashi told her before addressing the entire team. "Yeah, they'll be free starting the day after tomorrow so we'll have a little meeting then and work up the new schedule."

"What schedule?" Sasuke inquired.

"Why the new training and mission timetable we'll be working off, of course!" Kakashi told them as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Since so many teams are competing there will be plenty of D-Rank missions available to take and no one will complain if we start getting two, maybe three out each day. I'm thinking we'll run a seven day cycle; days one through four for missions while five, six and seven are divided between working with your new instructors, one on one sit downs with myself and resting… Teambuilding and personal training can occur when I don't have you running errands-I mean missions, the bank balance is getting a bit empty."

_**XXXXX**_

_**For those who are curious, Sasuke's patience and strategy training was playing Go over and over while Asuma talked rubbish to try and distract him [he'd also blow smoke into Sasuke's face to screw with him]. Naruto was made do the Tree Climbing and Water Walking exercises over and over with required reading set for each night [failure to answer a question whose answer could be found in the books resulted in her using genjutsu to screw with him]… As for Sakura, well:**_

XX Ninth Training Field; Konoha, Fire Country XX

"You cannot be serious!" Sakura screamed as the weights the spandex wearing lunatic her sensei had dumped her on was making her wear made moving her arms and legs near impossible. The weighted vest he'd made her put on only made the problem worse and left her struggling to breath. "Kakashi-sensei said he told you to go easy on me, like toddler easy!"

"I know, and I took that rather strange request into account when I prepared the weights." Guy admitted as he watched the pink haired girl fall on her back and do a pretty impressive impersonation of Ningame, she even got his choice curse words down and all.

_**XXXXX**_

_**I'm dyslexic, so please point out any mistakes in the spelling or grammar [I use the Irish/English spelling structure, so some may look off to Americans]. Please leave opinions and comments via review or PM, I can't improve without feedback. Well, that's everything I've got to say… Thanks for reading.**_

_**PS: Anyone else having a problem where they upload a file to the site and everything they've underlined has had the formatting changed? Or is that just me?**_

_**Highvalour saying thanks for reading.**_


	60. The Slightest Change

_**Just practising my fight scenes. Everything was inspired by a comment from chapter485, the one that if things had been a little different then Naruto and Sasuke most likely would have been standing where the other was instead.**_

_**Read, Review, let me know what works and what works not.**_

_**Naruto Belongs To Masashi Kishimoto**_

_**XXXXX**_

XX Near The Fire/Rice Field Border, Fire Country XX

Ducking under Hashirama's Wood Release: Cutting Technique and retrieving his kama Madara focused on his oldest foe, and friend. This would be their final battle, Madara was sure of it, and it would decide the fate of Konoha, Fire Country and maybe the world. Scanning the background, Madara watched with one eye as the fearsome Kyuubi was sealed into Mito Uzumaki. If it hadn't been for Hashirama's political marriage then that plan to use the Bijuu to level Konoha. The irony, if that was the right word, brought an amused smile to Madara's face.

"What's so funny Madara?" Hashirama yelled as he readied his blade. "Realised that stunt with your Susanoo and the Kyuubi handed me the victory?"

"I handed you nothing, I took your only hope of winning away!" Madara roared back, readying war fan and oversized sickle as he did so. The next few minutes had to count, otherwise everything was lost. "Tell you what, give up now and come back; I'll make sure you get a fair trial!"

"Hahaha, come back! I guess the rumours about those eyes making you Uchiha go nuts are true after all." Hashirama laughed, the Sage markings on his face and unhinged smile he wore combined to make a very unnerving sight. "Madara, you're dead and you don't even know it yet! Your eyes drain your chakra, your divine protector cripples your body… And while you practically defeat yourself I continue to draw power from the world itself."

"And that just proves you don't have the power to beat me yourself!" Madara needed to keep up the bravado, needed Hashirama focused completely on him, if he wanted Izuna and the others to get Mito and her newest 'passenger' away. That didn't stop Hashirama from being right though. Even with his Mangekyo active his vision was blurring and despite those new 'soldier pills' he'd popped his chakra was dropping quickly… Worst of all he'd lost his best defence, the legendary Yata Mirror, when he'd chosen to deflect the Fox's attack in the hopes of getting in close enough to restrain it.

It had to end! Madara had to stop fighting to come back home and focus on the win, only the win. Moulding and heating his chakra Madara began to channel the chakra into his kama, causing the blade to glow red-hot. Swinging the gunbai to kick up dust as a cover Madara rushed forward, spewing flames to burn away the trees Hashirama had made to attack with.

"Time to die Madara!" Hashirama cried as he brought his hands together and directed his jutsu created plant life to attack. Roots attempted to ensnare while branches grew out to impale. Every so often Hashirama would mix thing s up by using Earth or Water Release jutsu to try and catch Madara off guard, he failed but they did force the Uchiha clan leader into breaking off his charge and gave the Senju more time to gather his natural energy.

Dancing between the wooden spikes, the jagged shards of earth and the lashing whips of water Madara slowly inched his way forward. His superheated kama cutting through the thick tree trunks Hashirama erected to shield himself. The blade was ruined, heating it with chakra would cause the metal to expand and ruin the cutting edge. This would be its final battle and, if he couldn't finish it soon, it could very well be Madara's as well.

"Die!" Madara screamed as he lunged over the trees, over the earthen spikes and the water, over everything Hashirama had to defend himself with and brought his sickle down towards the man's head.

"Nice try." Hashirama snorted as roots shot upwards, piercing Madara's gut and expanding throughout his body. It was a fatal wound. As more and more roots impaled him Madara dropped his kama and gunbai. He tried to say something, anything but the roots had reached his throat and cut off his airways. While his foe was slowly ripped apart from the inside Hashirama performed several anti-genjutsu techniques to ensure this wasn't a trick. Once satisfied he'd one Hashirama let his Sage Mode end and gloated. "Hahahaha… I win, Madara. And once I've had the satisfaction of ending you, I'll take that sickle. A dull blade makes for a slow kill but your brother deserves it, for what he did to Tobirama! Huh, you look like you want to say something. Well, do you?"

"Yeah, bye!" A cold voice came from behind after a red hot kama was driven into his right side, taking out a lung and several of the surrounding organs. As the weapon was pulled free the man who had once led the Senju to some of their greatest victories fell to his knees, struck down by the cause of his greatest defeats.

"H-How…?" Hashirama gasped as he looked from the superficially wounded Madara who'd stepped from behind him to the great tree he'd grown from within the man not a minute ago. As he looked the dead Madara in the tree faded away and living Madara's right eye closed, but not before Hashirama caught sight of it turning a dull and dead white. Coughing up blood and bits of burnt lung, he tried again. "How… How did you…?"

"Izanagi." Madara answered simply. "Throughout history many Senju joined the Uchiha, as I'm sure a few Uchiha joined the Senju when they were winning. Those of us with enough traces of your clan in our blood can touch, if just for an instant, the power of the Sage… But it costs us. You should be honoured, Hashirama, I had to break my own laws and use this kinjutsu to beat you."

"You've just killed me!" Hashirama snarled as a wooden spike emerged from his wrist and was launched like a kunai at Madara. Jerking his head aside, Madara avoided anything worse than a torn earlobe as the spike sailed passed. "You've just killed me… And made a martyr! Remember this, Madara, fires burn out but… But even after suffering the worst flames imaginable the forests regrow! The ashes of the old they feed the saplings… When you Uchiha have all burned away, consumed by your own 'Will of Fire', the Senju of the forest will rise again… We will grow from your ashes and… And… And-"

Whatever Hashirama Senju, self-proclaimed 'God of Shinobi', had planned to say was lost as he keeled over and landed in the small river that ran through the newly created valley Madara and himself and created in their battle.

_**XXX**_

XX Fire/River Border, River Country XX

As the Rasengan struck the legendary Sword of Kusanagi Orochimaru wondered if the fabled blade would hold up. The old stories said this particular blade was the master smith's greatest work, unbreakable and imbued with many unique powers, but so far all Orochimaru had had been able to do with it was stab people… So at the very least it was a good sword. When it became clear the blade would withstand the violent torrent of chakra Jiraiya destabilised the jutsu, causing the chakra to blast outwards and knock Orochimaru back.

Righting himself Orochimaru launched a dozen snakes, each with a different paralytic venom, to ensnare his foe. Seeing the attack coming Jiraiya swapped himself out with a chunk of rock and charged forward, hoping to get in passed Orochimaru's guard. Jiraiya knew in a straight taijutsu match he'd win, even if he hadn't had enough time to prepare his Sage Mode. Unfortunately for Jiraiya Orochimaru wasn't considered a genius for nothing, he knew that a man sized lump of rock connected to your arm via a dozen powerful snakes made a pretty good flail.

"Gah! Sonofa-" Jiraiya snapped as the rock shattered against the side of his head and left him seeing spots. Battle instincts telling him to move, Jiraiya lunged sideways just before Orochimaru could finish closing in and deliver a follow-up blow. Pumping chakra into his mouth Jiraiya decided to try out one of his new tricks. Opening his mouth Jiraiya launched his tongue, engorged and lengthened thanks to experimentation and chakra application, out with lightning speed. The swollen and hardened knot at the tip caught Orochimaru's shoulder and snapped the bone with ease.

"What the? Orochimaru hissed as he hit the ground and rolled into a defensive stance. What the hell had that been? Some new jutsu the toads taught him up on Mt. Myoboku?

"Recognise it? It was one of your ideas… Just improved." Jiraiya laughed as he summoned the Toad Elders. "Ma, Pa I need your help. Me and Orochimaru are gonna finish this once and for all."

"What's the matter Jiraiya, afraid to fight me on your own?" Orochimaru asked as he adjusted his grip on the Kusanagi sword. Orochimaru may be the better ninja, the master of jutsu and their sensei's favourite but he was no sage. His body was unable to handle the influx of power that came with it and so, if Jiraiya managed to enter that state, he was a dead man. His only hope was to provoke Jiraiya into attacking in anger, before he gained the power boost. "That why you stole those scrolls, why you've spend the last three years mutilating our countrymen in sick experiments?!"

"Those 'sick experiments' are all based on your ideas! Every one of them came from your sick little head… I just had the guts to go through with them. To use your thoughts to advance beyond what I am now." Jiraiya snarled as he began to advance on Orochimaru, leaving the toads on his shoulders to gather natural energy for him. "Funny isn't it?! You had all these wonderful ideas, ideas only a true once in a generation genius could have, and you backed down! You didn't have the guts to expand on the very nature of chakra and ninjutsu… But me, the loser and the dead last… I can go the distance, I will do whatever I want to achieve my aims! I am-"

"Still being a little bitch with a chip on his shoulder!" Orochimaru cut him off, it was working. Just a little closer. "I'm sorry Tsunade never returned your feelings and I'm sorry sensei favoured me over you… But that does not justify what you've done you maniac!"

"Die!" Jiraiya screamed as the natural energy from the old toads had gathered took effect and he closed the distance between them faster than Orochimaru could track.

It wasn't Jiraiya's fist but raw energy that struck him in the chest, shattering the snake master's ribcage and rupturing several internal organs, before Orochimaru could even think of reacting. As Orochimaru hit the ground, several metres away from his starting point, a snarl of fury drew his attention skyward where Jiraiya was falling towards him with the single largest Rasengan either had ever seen in hand.

"This'll hurt." The snake summoner groaned just before the jutsu hit and decimated everything around him.

Over an hour later, after the now definitely rogue Jiraiya had left, a large brown snake slithered out of the rubble left by the Sage Mode: Rasengan and looked around. Once it was sure there was no immediate danger the snake proceeded to vomit out a badly injured Orochimaru.

"T-Thanks… Clima." Orochimaru groaned as he sat up and surveyed the destruction his friend's 'I quit' had caused. Rising slowly to his feet Orochimaru knew Jiraiya was long gone with no way to track him… Not that he was in any condition to fight the toad sage. "Let's go back… We need to report this to the Hokage."

_**XXX**_

XX Valley Of the End, Fire Country XX

Naruto's blow sent Sasuke flying across the valley floor, tumbling and skipping across the water's surface until he hit the hard earth on the river's far side. As he struggled to get up Sasuke looked at his friend, whisker like marks enlarged and feral looking while his blue he's slowly turned red and giving the appearance of demonic possession. Taking a few shaky steps forward Sasuke slapped his face to clear his head.

"I'm not letting you go!" He shouted as his sharingan took in the thin wisps of red that rose up from the blond opposite him. Just what the hell was Naruto? "I'm not going to let you join that lunatic… If I have to break you to make you come back then so be it! I won't lose my friend, I won't lose anyone else!"

"There we go, there's the arrogance I've been waiting for and putting up with." Naruto spat, flexing his now claw tipped fingers as he readied for the next clash. "Always has to be about you, doesn't it?! You're the one everyone loves, you're the one everyone wants to see do well! Well guess what, you aren't getting your way this time! I'm going to Jiraiya… I'm going to get strong! I'm going to be free of Konoha and the crap it's piled on me my entire life!"

As he finished he lunged forward, Sasuke barely twisting to avoid his outstretched fist and countering with a punch of his own. The two fought fiercely but it was clear that Naruto would win. Sasuke may have had the advantage in form, focus and speed but whatever it was the rogue Sannin had done to Naruto back in the forest to give him this power… It was a tide turner.

Like a juggernaut, unstoppable and all powerful, the boy just took Sasuke's punches and kicks without even flinching. For every five blows he shrugged off Naruto landed one blow that drove the breath from Sasuke's lungs or dumbed the area it hit. It wasn't a fight as much as a slow, drawn-out pummelling of the last loyal Uchiha.

"Just give up." Naruto ordered as he tossed the beaten and bloodied Sasuke away.

"Because… I don't give up on my friends." Sasuke hissed as he slowly climbed to his feet. His vision was blurry, even with the sharingan active, and that meant he didn't have long before he passed out. Putting some space between them Sasuke readied that jutsu of Kakashi's, he knew the older ninja wasn't happy Sasuke had been taught it but… It was the only thing he had that might slow Naruto down long enough for backup to catch up and restrain him. "And I told you… Even if I gotta break you to do it, I'll stop you going!"

"Fine… Don't say I didn't give you a chance when you end up in the Pure World!" Naruto snarled as he began to form a Rasengan, traces of the Kyuubi's red chakra seeping in and discolouring the technique. Naruto laughed at that, the jutsu Kakashi had taught him to persuade him away from using the Fox's power empowered by the very beast… It was poetic, in a kinda warped way.

Loud chirping and a high pitched whirling filled the valley. Both pumped more and more power into the techniques, Sasuke's Chidori growing and growing in power until it began to burn away the skin on his hand… Sasuke was risking death via chakra exhaustion and had managed to charge one pseudo-Lightning Blade, the S-Ranked upgrade to Kakashi's 'one original jutsu'. Naruto wasn't enlarging his jutsu but darkening it, the Fox's potent chakra mingling with his own chakra gave the Rasengan a deep and demonic purple tint.

When both could avoid to give no more chakra, Sasuke due to exhaustion and Naruto do to damage the Fox's chakra was causing, they charged. Chidori and Rasengan clashed at the spot where, nearly a century ago, the founders of their Village clashed. As they held a battle of wills the chakra around them began to twist. If one was watching, like the Akatsuki agent Zetsu was, one would had seen a most interesting sight. Naruto's chakra had taken the form of a crude Kitsune, a demon fox, while Sasuke's resembled the Tengu, the bird like warriors of myth. He two Yokai manifestations clashed it mirrored the battle below and so as the Rasengan began to win the Tengu seemed to stop, as if afraid it would kill the Kitsune.

_**X**_

By the time Kakashi made it to the valley, the fight was over. Naruto was gone and Sasuke, Sasuke was lying by the banks of the river. A kunai embedded into the ground by his head. Kakashi understood the message Naruto had left, 'I could have killed you if I wanted too.'! The loyal Uchiha was a mess; Shirt shredded to reveal massive bruising and gashes across his chest. Face, neck and right arm swollen with slowly emerging brushes and as for his left arm… Blackened and burned from what Kakashi could guess was an attempted Chidori, one that had been dramatically overcharged.

"This rain'll have washed away the scent." Pakkun said from his spot at Kakashi's heel. Making his way over to the Uchiha, Pakkun sniffed to get a read on the boy's vitals. "He's alive, but weak… We should take him back quick and hope we run into some friendly medics along the way."

"Why here, of all places? Do you think it was… Never mind." Kakashi began before stopping himself. Gently picking up the unconscious Sasuke he paused for a moment to look between the statues that stood guard over the valley, Madara Uchiha and Hashirama Senju. "So much like our ancestors… But so different as well… Let's go, Pakkun."

_**XXXXX**_

_**Ages and ages ago I had an idea where the Uchiha and Senju where swapped; IE, the older son believed in Peace and was picked meaning the Senju [and Uzumaki] held the 'Curse of Hate'. The idea was Madara was First Hokage, Izuna was Second and trained Danzo who was Third. Danzo and Sarutobi would be swapped effectively there… Due to being the 'victors' of sorts the Uchiha would have integrated with the rest of the Village, going from a massive clan to a single family with blood ties to much of the Village if you go back far enough. The Senju, the 'losers', stayed together and remained a large clan [basically filling the roles the Uchiha had in canon]. Danzo would have caught Orochimaru before the snake master went too far and help turn him back to the light, but in doing so effectively shunned Jiraiya enough for the Toad Sage to grow bitter… Following Minato's death [still Jiraiya's student and Hokage] Jiraiya would have snapped from bitterness, grief and anger at Konoha over Naruto's treatment using fragments of Orochimaru's early writings to build a basis for his own experimentation.**_

_**The idea was scrapped due to several issues, effectively becoming the two separate stories above [Madara vs. Hashirama is one, the Jiraiya Vs. Orochimaru and Naruto Vs. Sasuke fights being the other]. In the newer idea, canon stays mostly the same save for three big events; 1) Orochimaru is saved from the darkness by Sarutobi's intervention but the actions involved cause Jiraiya to become increasingly bitter, 2) Jiraiya snapped after the Kyuubi attack eventually doing several of the things Orochimaru did [although the poor bastard who survived Jiraiya's Curse Seal testing was killed and dissected to see how] and 3) the different Sannin involved meant Sarutobi got closer to a different orphan [No Jiraiya to encourage him to keep a closer eye on Naruto meant that by the time he did, the boy was too bitter and spiteful to listen while having Orochimaru around meant someone was there to notice young Sasuke after the massacre and point out if something wasn't done for him then the boy would most likely end up going down the path Orochimaru barely avoided].**_

_**So what you got is a reserved but stable Sasuke and the same team as an angry and aggressive Naruto. The two did begin to form a friendship, Naruto wasn't someone who tried to hang out with Sasuke because he was 'the dark and cool kid' but instead just saw Sasuke while Sasuke in turn was someone who was honest with Naruto and while he might have made fun of him, it was more a 'you messed up, I had a laugh and now I am going to help out fix it' kind of thing. During the Forest of Death it is Jiraiya who attacks and during the attack twists the lock on the seal a fraction, releasing some of the chakra for Naruto to draw on [in place of Orochimaru and the Curse Seal]. It is Naruto who faces Gaara so Kakashi decides to spend the whole month training Naruto [since the boy is facing the biggest threat and something has to be done to stop him from being tempted by Jiraiya Kakashi passes on the Rasengan].**_

_**Orochimaru, having seen far too much of himself in Sasuke in the past takes the boy under his wing during this time and helps out, therefore setting up a kind of inversion of the Sannin/Team Seven interactions from canon. Again I run into problems with adapting the plot, mainly in relation to the fights against Haku in Wave and later Gaara/Shukaku, and that's why what's above is most likely all that'll ever be done.**_

_**I'm dyslexic, so please point out any mistakes in the spelling or grammar [I use the Irish/English spelling structure, so some may look off to Americans]. Please leave opinions and comments via review or PM, I can't improve without feedback. Well, that's everything I've got to say… Thanks for reading.**_

_**Highvalour saying thanks for reading.**_


	61. Defecting To One's Own Side

_**Read, Review, let me know what works and what works not.**_

_**Naruto Belongs To Masashi Kishimoto**_

_**XXXXX**_

XX Western Park; Konoha, Fire Country XX

"From here on out… We all begin new paths." Sasuke said softly. Sakura's heartfelt, but childish and pointless, pleas for him to stay would not change his mind. _'I have chosen this path… I am an Avenger and if I must walk into the darkness then so be it!'_

"I love you, with all my heart!" Sakura cried, pleaded in the hope he would stay. Stay with her. "If you stay here, with me, you won't have any regrets… E-Everyday we'd do something fun and we'd be happy… Please!"

Sasuke said nothing, he had made his decision and he would not back down, while she begged him to stay. When she realised that asking him to stay would do nothing she changed tactic and asked him to take her with him, asked him to let her desert her family and friends… It slowly dawned on Sasuke just you young and naïve she really was. To throw away all she had, a loving family and a place you belonged, they really were very different.

"You really are annoying." Sasuke sighed as he finally sighed and turned to face her. Shaking his head he set off, he had an appointment with the devil to keep.

"Don't go!" Sakura screamed after him, loud enough that Sasuke was surprised no one came to investigate. "If you do I… I'll scream!"

He stopped, sighed and vanished with a burst of speed. Reappearing behind her Sasuke thanked Sakura for being his teammate and used a simple genjutsu to put her asleep. As the girl crumpled he caught her, hefted her into a bridal carry, and walked to a nearby bench.

'_Clear skies… Might be frost._' Sasuke thought as he looked down at the sleeping Sakura. _'This will be my last kind act.'_

XX Haruno residence; Konoha, Fire country XX

As he gently set Sakura down on her bed Sasuke paused for a second. While he'd passed her house many times, he'd never accepted her offer to come inside and hang out, and had to admit it was nice. Not as grand or ornate as the house he'd grown up in over at the Uchiha Compound but certainly far cosier than the apartment his legal guardian, whoever hat actually was, had set up for him. Pulling a small throw over her he turned away, hopped out her window and landed at the feet of two angry looking parents.

"You had better have a beyond good reason for being in there." Mebuki Haruno growled as he held a white knuckle grip on a kunai.

"Was training, she fell asleep… Figured I'd save her the embarrassment of being woken up." Sasuke shrugged nonchalantly, while secretly thanking ever star he'd taken a minute to remove and stash his heavy pack before going inside.

"we know our daughter, and as much as I'd love to think she was training, that isn't true." Kizashi countered threateningly. He may still be on medical leave after that clash with the Oto ninjas during the invasion but he figured he could take one little genin, even if that genin was 'the last, best hope for preserving a very important Kekkei Genkai' as he'd heard so many say.

"I was training." Sasuke clarified as he wondered should he just run for it. "She was 'spectating' and fell asleep… I wouldn't have known she was there if she hadn't mumbled in her sleep."

"Then why didn't you take her to our door? Why sneak in and out through a window?" Mebuki demanded to know.

"Because I wanted to spare her the embarrassment." Sasuke said with a sigh as he began thinking of how he'd make a run for it. The man seemed to be injured, from the invasion maybe?, so a quick genjutsu to disorient the woman for a few seconds followed up by a quick blow to his injuries should buy him the time to get away. "I'd have been willing to act like I did nothing, she'd have been able to pretend she didn't fall asleep spying on me… Seemed like the nice thing to do."

"Thank you." Kizashi said. "But next time take her to our door, maybe the embarrassment will motivate her to train a little more… Okay?"

"I understand… This won't happen again, I promise you." Sasuke said before wishing both a quick 'good night' and Body Flickering away.

XX Two Mile North Of Konoha, Fire Country XX

"What are you doing here?" Sasuke asked as he spotted the four Oto ninja from earlier.

"We've been waiting for you… Although we expected you much sooner." The lipstick wearing one, who'd seemed the strongest when they'd fought, said as he made a small bow. "When we left Oto, Lord Orochimaru declared that you were to be our new leader…"

"Don't know why Lord Orochimaru would put a punk-ass weakling like you in charge, but he did." The girl, who Sasuke hadn't really gotten much of a feel for, snorted as she crossed her arms and glared at him.

"Tayuya, ladies should not use such vulgar language." The big guy, who Sasuke knew hit the hardest but was slower and had actually shown pain when hit, chastised. At least he'd repeated the girl's name so Sasuke could remember it, he really should have paid attention when they'd introduced themselves earlier but… Well he had other things on his mind.

"Can we hurry this up!" The six-armed, web spitting, one snapped as he looked around. "The longer we're out in the open like this the more likely we are to be detected… And the longer we dally the smaller our window to sneak through the patrols is getting!"

"Kidomaru is right." 'Lipstick' said, his tone implying it was physically painful to admit that, as he looked to Sasuke. "Allow me to apologise for our earlier rudeness. If you follow us to Oto, we will ensure your safe arrival and elevation to unprecedented levels of power."

"Let's just go." Sasuke snapped, his black eyes turning crimson as his sharingan flared to life. They set off at a steady pace. Sasuke's sharingan taking in every detail as they moved.

'Lipstick' was easily the strongest and most skilled, his movements never wasted. Sasuke's attention was often drawn to the second head that emerged from the back of his neck, could it have had something to do with how the boy at attacked Sasuke without using his arms or legs during their fight earlier?

Tayuya also seemed skilled, her movements solid and little energy wasted. He hadn't really engaged her back at Konoha so there was no way of judging her skills, but since 'Lipstick' was willing to talk down to her he figured she rated lower than he did.

Kidomaru, the six armed one, was a well of insight into the workings of the 'Sound Four'. If only because he couldn't shut the hell up even after the others constantly told him to do so. He spoke down to the big one, Jirobo, and mocked the large teen but was hesitant to provoke Tayuya and never challenged 'Lipstick'.

Jirobo was the weakest, no doubt about it. While he'd hit harder than any other the constant need to stop so he could rest or eat and the way he just took the insults hurled at him, as long as the insults didn't include 'foul language' from Tayuya, was all the evidence Sasuke needed to prove that.

Due to Jirobo's frequent snack breaks they were still some distance from the Fire/Sound border when the sun began to rise, well over four hours after they'd set off. When the group stopped, again, in a small clearing Sasuke honestly debated with himself wither or not he should get a kunai out of his pack and just stab the fat, lazy bastard… Sasuke needed to get away from these people.

"I think this will be a good place." 'Lipstick' muttered before turning to Sasuke and flashing a rather creepy smile. "Before we left Lord Orochimaru gave us a very important order, the last and most important in relation to taking you back to him."

"And that is?" Sasuke asked, sharingan taking in every detail. He was using up chakra, the miniscule drain from the sharingan was starting to amount to something, but he wanted to be fully aware of his surroundings.

"Well… You have to die… Just once." 'Lipstick' laughed before casually reaching into his shirt.

"Die, once?" Sasuke repeated slowly. "You're telling me to die… once?"

"Oh yes… just take one of these pills and everything will be fine." The other boy told him as he held up a jar of small black pills.

"Those are the Awakening Pills!" Kidomaru supplied. "Lord Orochimaru created them to speed up the process… Your Seal is only at Level One, take the pill and you'll 'level up'."

"Unfortunately that'll also speed up the rate at which the Seal contaminates the rest of your body and mind." Tayuya cut in, a neutral expression on her face. "If nothing is done to control the awakening, you will die!"

"In other words, your body will need time to adjust to the power of the Curse Seal's Level Two." 'Lipstick' finished off. "With Level Two, you'd probably have the same level of power as we do… But when the Seal fully awakens for the first time, there will only be a few minutes before you 'die'."

"But don't worry, our barrier will alleviate the worst of the awakening." Jirobo told him, ruining the fun Tayuya and 'Lipstick' were having trying to freak him out. "Once you take the pill we'll place you in a temporary coma, while the pill does its job."

"You barrier skills, how good are they?" Sasuke demanded to know, if he was going to risk this than he wanted to be damn sure he'd come out at the end.

"Normally we're Lord Orochimaru's personal bodyguards." Kidomaru bragged. "So you can bet that seals and barriers are our speciality!"

"They'd better be." Sasuke said as he took a pill from 'Lipstick'. Staring down at the tiny pill, the pill that held the secret to real power, Sasuke realised this was most likely his last chance to back out. No! No backing down, no holding back! Sasuke would have the power he needed to kill Itachi. "Here, take this!"

"Gah!" Kidomaru grunted as Sasuke tossed his pack at the six armed boy and then swallowed the pill.

As soon as the pill was in Sasuke's mouth the Sound Four where moving. A large barrel was unsealed and his unconscious body loaded into it. When the lid was sealed, the four performed the Four Black Fogs barrier formation and added the Dark Sealing Method to secure the barrel.

"Hey Sakon? You or Tayuya wanna take this?" Kidomaru asked, holding up the pack to let them know what he meant. "It isn't really designed for somebody of my… eh build."

"Toss it." 'Lipstick', real name Sakon, snapped before nodding at Jirobo. "Grab the barrel and let's go."

"You sure? I mean Sasuke said to take it." Kidomaru said.

"Dump it you dumbass." Tayuya ordered as she and Sakon set off. "If fatso over there can avoid having an attack of the munchies every ten minutes then we'll be well on our way to Oto by the time he wakes up and it won't matter."

"Alright." Kidomaru shrugged as he moved to follow, tossing Sasuke's pack behind him as he went.

XX Hokage's Tower; Konoha, Fire Country (2 Hours Later)

A rather hungover Tsunade was just setting her head down for a quick nap, she was sure no more of the chunin would be arriving with messages for a while, when the door to her office slammed open and a man with a dull pink moustache and matching spiky pink hair dressed in a tracksuit rushed in. He wore a frantic expression and was dragging a very distraught girl, who Tsunade was pretty sure was Naruto's teammate, behind him.

"Lady Tsunade, Lady Tsunade something very bad has happened!" The man panted as he pushed the girl forward to talk.

"What?" Tsunade asked sleepily. When the girl, Sakura, was finished talking Tsunade could only repeat it. "WHAT!?

What followed was a frantic search by the still injured Kizashi Haruno for Shikamaru Nara while his daughter explained again, with attention to every detail, what had happened the night before. Once he'd found the lazy chunin, how had that waste been the only one to get promoted Kizashi would never know, the pair rushed off to find Sakura's teammate, the Kyuubi jinchuuriki Naruto. Once he had the blond idiot, who reminded Kizashi of someone he'd know years ago but couldn't place it, the three rushed back to the Hokage's tower. By the time they were back in her office, Kizashi was holding his side and praying that all that running and racing hadn't reopened any of the serious injuries he'd picked up during the Suna/Oto invasion.

"…About eighty clicks north east of here." Shizune finished off her report as the genin, newly minted chunin and Special Jonin entered the office.

"Nara, you're here good!" Tsunade snapped once she spotted Shikamaru. "I trust you've been brought up to speed? Good, we've just received word that a group of Oto shinobi clashed with a team of ours an hour and a half ago. Now too many of our forces are injured or on active missions to mount a full-scale search so I am sending you, Naruto and any other unassigned genin you come across in the next fifteen minutes to track down and retrieve Sasuke Uchiha… You are also ordered to incapacitate the little brat if he shows even the slightest signs of resisting, is that clear?"

"… Understood." Shikamaru sighed before looking to Naruto. "Let's go."

"W-Wait… I'm coming too." Sakura said nervously. As everyone turned to stare at her, her father being especially surprised, she swallowed and steeled her nerves. "I am coming as well. Now let's go and find someone with tracking skills."

Ten minutes later they had gathered every available genin they could find. Shikamaru had made a point of collecting Choji, saying Choji was far tougher than any gave him credit for, and then they ran into Kiba, who'd been on his way home after an early morning stroll with Akamaru. That had seemed like it until Neji arrived, seems he'd been escorting Lee to his surgery when Tsunade mentioned what had happened.

"We'll be travelling in a single line formation, with Kiba on point since his clan often travels all over Fire Country and so he'll know the terrain best." Shikamaru told them. "As squad leader I'll be second, from their I can issue orders to Kiba and flash hand signs to those behind me… Sakura will be behind me, you scored best in both the graduation exam and Stage One of the Chunin Exams so you'll be with me formulating plans. Naruto is next, good reaction times and Shadow Clones means you should be placed where you can react and assist easily. Choji is after Naruto, you aren't the fastest but you are our heaviest hitter. Those of us ahead of you will make openings, you strike hard-"

"And that leaves me as rear guard." Neji said with a nod of approval. "The byakugan will let me watch behind us without making it obvious to any attempting a sneak attack… Good plan."

"Alright! Let's go!" Naruto yelled as Sakura reached up and caught a grip of his collar, stopping him from rushing on ahead without them.

"Naruto, stick to Shikamaru's plan!" Sakura snapped. "Based on what time Sasuke left at, and where Shizune's team encountered those Oto ninja, they are either traveling at a slow steady pace or in intermittent bursts… If they maintain that speed we can intercept them in roughly two and a half hours if we travel at a quick but not exhaustive speed."

"Sakura's right, no point getting there quick and having no energy to fight with." Shikamaru told him. "Now, in formation, let's move out."

XX Twenty Miles South of The Valley Of The End, Fire Country (Two Hours Later) XX

Jirobo barely managed to set the barrel down before both the Four Black Fogs barrier and Dark Sealing Method broke and all the raw, malevolent energy within it exploded outwards. The blast and power was even enough to wake up Ukon. As the dust and debris settled the Sound Four saw Sasuke standing there, the subdermal flames of the Curse Seal retreating back to his shoulder.

"Where's my pack?" Sasuke asked as he rolled his shoulders and flexed his fingers.

"It was lost, in a clash with a Konoha patrol, some time ago." Sakon lied easily as those blood red eyes came to rest on him. "When we get to Oto you can replace any of the equipment we lost."

"I've faced Oto nin, in the Forest of Death, and saw what was left behind after the invasion… We're taking a detour so I can restock." Sasuke said bluntly. Although the clear insult to their fellow Oto ninja didn't bother any of them, Tayuya even snorted dismissively when he mention the team that entered the Exams, the clear snub of what Lord Orochimaru would supply angered the Sound Four. "Besides it's not the clothes or weapons, but the scrolls, I want to replace."

"W-What scrolls?" Sakon asked as he wondered if ordering Kidomaru to dump the pack without even raiding it for anything useful was a dumb move.

"Sharingan training exercises, Uchiha Clan tactics… Things that will help me master my eyes." Sasuke said dismissively as he examined their location and began plotting the quickest route to where he wanted to go. "The ones we lost are encoded, only a sharingan can read them, so there's no fear of Konoha using them to improve but I'll have to collect the copies stored at Sora-Shuuen, they'll reduce the time needed to master the sharingan from months to weeks."

"But Lord Orochimaru said we were to get you back as soon as-" Kidomaru began before Sakon cut him off.

"Shut up! If you'd held onto the pack, like you'd been told, than we wouldn't have to make this detour!" He snapped, Oto rule number one: if you can shift the blame, do it. "How far is this 'Sora-Shuuen'?"

"We need to head South-East, about eighty mile or so." Sasuke told them as he looked over at Jirobo. "I'll be setting the pace, fall behind or decide to rest and you will be left behind!"

"Oh we'll have no problem leaving fatso behind if he falls behind." Tayuya laughed. "Now lead on 'Oh Great and Powerful Uchiha'!"

"Try and keep up." Sasuke growled before Body Flickering into the trees above and setting off.

_**XXXXX**_

_**Part one of two. Sora-Shuuen is a little joke name I made up for the Uchiha Clan Hideout Sasuke and Itachi fought in. I use the free online translator at **_freedict dot com _**to get it… Also shows how give of a nerd I am. Another idea had been to call it "Inkou no Seken" [again translation comes from **_freedict_**].**_

_**I'm dyslexic, so please point out any mistakes in the spelling or grammar [I use the Irish/English spelling structure, so some may look off to Americans]. Please leave opinions and comments via review or PM, I can't improve without feedback. Well, that's everything I've got to say**_

_**Highvalour saying thanks for reading.**_


	62. Random Scenes 5

_**Read, Review, let me know what works and what works not.**_

_**Naruto Belongs To Masashi Kishimoto**_

_**Each Intellectual Property Belongs To Its Respective Owner**_

_**XXXXX**_

XX Hong Kong XX

Tenten entered the small apartment she'd been using since arriving in this strange world. At first she'd thought they were just on the far side of home, a distant country way out there past Demon Country or the like, but then she'd found copies of maps. Maps that detailed every square inch of the world and there were no landmasses like home. It had been nine months and she was still only just getting use to this place. The local language, Cantonese, was very different to what she was use to and even when she found someone who could talk normal, here they called it Japanese, they had issues communicating… Seems what was perfectly normal for her was considered outdated and nearly archaic to everyone else. It took nearly four months, working with some very unsurvey people, before she was aware enough to avoid being screwed over with whenever she put her only 'employable skills' to work.

Stealing artwork, weapons or cash for some Japanese thugs who wanted to expand their operations and needed someone with Tenten's unique abilities. She refused to kill, not out of any moral objection but because she knew they would try and hold that over her, but would plant evidence that a few corrupt police could use to deal with the person… In fact that's what she'd been doing earlier on, planting evidence that would put a high ranking Triad out of business for a while at least. As she checked the security seals she'd put up, perfect to use here where no one had the chakra or skills to disarm, Tenten mentally went over what she'd learned about this world.

A good ninety percent of the world's population had next to nothing in the way of chakra, kekkei genkai or unique abilities. Although that percentage seemed to drop to around sixty five/seventy if you were in America and that trying to track down a girl whose eyes can see through solid objects, a boy who could make copies of himself, another boy who could run close enough to the speed of sound or an asshole who could breathe fire was damn near impossible since those kinds of tricks were not as distinctive and noteworthy to help narrow down her search for her friends… And Sasuke.

Shrugging off the heavy coat and tossing the crude mask she'd been wearing while stashing the 'evidence' Tenten sat down and emptied her pockets. She still had three storage scrolls left unopened and about half a scroll worth of equipment from Konoha. She'd tried sourcing new equipment here but, apart from some pretty high quality knifes, everything she was use to using would count as museum pieces. Rubbing her eyes and grumbling in frustration got up and went to get something to drink from the small kitchenette. Taking a glass from the small cupboard over the sink Tenten tensed for a second before twisting on her heel and slamming the cup into the face of the idiot who'd tried to clumsily sneak up on her. The man wore a black outfit with minimal silver/grey armour around the lower arms and shoulders. A large orange circle in the centre of his otherwise featureless mask. As he staggered back nearly a dozen more, all dressed identically as him, rushed forward.

'_Oh please.' _Tenten thought as she moved between them, implying basic taijutsu to devastating effect as she easily overpowered and beat the strange, silent intruders. It took, maybe a minute, for her to beat all of them down and when she was done she grabbed the closest to interrogate. "Who are you, why attack me?"

The man said nothing, just focused his gaze on her. She tried again, this time in Cantonese, but he still remained silent. Snarling in frustration Tenten tore the mask from his face only to find a screen where his face should be, a screen and some wires. The screen flickered before displaying the character for 'Five' and something beeped. About a second later the character changed to 'Four' and another beep sounded. The 'Three' appeared Tenten dropped the robot she'd thought was a man and dove through the kitchenette's small window, using the Body Flicker technique to safely land on a rooftop opposite from her apartment.

"Impressive, I can see you were trained well." A voice called from behind her, its Cantonese worse than her own. Turning around and dropping into a defensive stance Tenten found herself facing nearly forty of those robot attackers and a man in blue and orange armour. The main part of the armour was a deep, almost black, blue with patterning that gave the chest and arms a scale-like appearance. The blue armour extended up to cover the man's neck and the back of his head while his face was hidden behind a mask that reminded Tenten of Kiri's Hunter Nin. One half, the right, was featureless and the same blue as the rest while the other half was a deep, burnt orange with a red lens set over the eye socket. The armoured boots, gloves and belt he wore matched the left side of the mask.

"This is all your doing?" Tenten asked rhetorically. The mooks behind him told her he was the one who'd ordered the attack.

"My… I guess you could call him my employer… wanted a demonstration of your ability before he offered you a job." The masked man said as he held up a file and tossed it towards her. "I could have done it myself, but I felt you'd like the opportunity to find new employment… You'll need it after tonight."

"And why's that?" Tenten asked as he mentally debating with running for it, whoever this was he was armed. What looked like a guardless ninto over his right shoulder, one of those automatic rifles hanging from his left and about a dozen throwing knifes strapped to his person. Whoever he was, he was ready for a fight.

"Because…" The man began before pausing, as if listening to something only he could hear, continuing. "… Those yakuza you worked for, they're dead now. One of them was the favourite uncle of a high level boss who short-changed me and my employer, I was sent here to make an example out of him. Once I learned you were in town, I had to come… Had to offer you the job."

"You haven't told me what the job is." Tenten pointed out as she tried to keep her disgust at the man's admission to having killed the people she worked for. Yes they were scum, vile racist and sexist scum, but to so casually admit you killed them indicted this guy held little value for the lives of others.

"Right, right. It's all there in the file." The man laughed. The sound has hard and forced, like laughter didn't come natural to him. "to the east, across the ocean, is a city called {Jump City}. In its bay there is a tower. Infiltrate the tower, undetected and unsuspected, and steal something for me. What my boss wants is in the file. Do that and you'll be paid $300,000 and then have a choice: keep working with me, for my employer, or go back to the {Titans} who live in the tower… Two of your friends are there."

"What!?" Tenten gasped. The sound was barely out of her mouth before she'd snapped up the file and was scanning it for any mention of one of her comrades.

"The Hyuuga and N-The Uzumaki." The masked man explained. "They work live and work with the heroes of {Jump City}."

"And what's to stop my just leaving now and joining them?" Tenten wondered as she eyed the unmoving mooks behind him. "Them?"

"… the same thing that stops me." The man seemed to whisper before focusing on her. "If you look to the back of the file, you'll see my employer is paying for some of the best medical professionals on the planet to treat your teammate Lee… His continued treatment is not conditional on you working with me, for him, but can you honestly say you'll actively oppose a man keeping your friend from dying?"

_**XXX**_

XX Random Road In Fire Country XX

As Kotetsu struggled to get up the masked giant stomped down hard on his back, putting himout of commission and clearing the way towards the target. As the giant closed in the target fell to his knees, weeping and pleading for mercy.

"Do you know who I am?" The giant asked in a surprisingly soft and calm tone as he closed on massive hand around the client's throat and lifted the fully grown, and somewhat heavy, man effortlessly up.

"P-Please no... Please, I have a family." The client sobbed as he stared into the giant's unnaturally green eyes.

"I said do you know. Who. I. AM!" The giant snarled, tightening his grip on the man's neck.

"Y-Yes... I, I do." The client whimpered as he clawed impotently as the giant's hand. "Please don't do this... I-I can pay you, anything you want..."

"Good, you know me... And so, I presume, you can guess why I've come for you." The giant laughed, the rage and anger gone. "You will be a message. A warning to your master, the true power in the shadows... He will know that this poison, this Venom, which now pumps through my veins, only serves to strengthen my conviction! Through you, he will now that I am the scourge that encroaches on his kingdom. That I am the Bane to everyone who would serve him..."

"No- Please... No-Urk!" The client whimpered as the giant squeezed, crushing both the man's trachea and spinal cord with one hand. Tossing the body aside like trash the giant turned his attention to Kotetsu and the rest of his team.

"I will leave you alive." He announced before retrieving the coat he'd discarded earlier and moving to leave. "So that you can report back and deliver my message... Tell you master, and his puppets, that I will leave him broken at my feet. He will choke on the ashes of what he holds most dear before he dies... Tell him, tell him the end is nigh!"

XX ROOT Headquarters; Konoha, Fire Country [Three years ago] XX

Danzo sat in his office going through reports. It was done. Orochimaru had attacked Konoha and inflicted considerable damage, both to infrastructure and to Konoha's military might… Just as he'd gambled. Danzo was loyal, a fanatic really, to Konoha but he knew the Village had become complacent. He'd watched for years as his old friend Hiruzen Sarutobi, though good intentions and 'thinking of the children', let Konoha rot. It was why he had allowed, why he'd actively added, in Orochimaru's plans.

Konoha was not a mighty tree, as many liked to describe the village, but was in fact a forest. And in forests, sometimes, some trees grow so great that they drain everything around them. They starve the younger saplings of the vital nutrients, trials and skills, needed to flourish… And like many forests, fire is both inevitable and sometimes welcome. Burning away the old, the weakened and the sickly the fire destroys those who drain the nutrients and provides the ashes to feed the starving saplings. Danzo's agents had ensured that Oto and Suna had breached the walls at specific points, while preventing other sections from seeing combat. This controlled burn had left many dead, many more injured and the entire Village crying for retaliation. While he regretted Hiruzen's passing, a hand in the death of one's oldest friend is difficult for even the coldest of hearts to ignore completely, Danzo knew it would lead to a greater Konoha.

"The people cry out for blood." Danzo smirked as he added another name from the casualty listings to his pool of 'potentials'. There were so many injured, some untreatably so, that Danzo knew he would have no shortage of volunteers for the serum his researchers had been developing for months now.

Based on notes and almost decade old samples recovered from one of the many hidden laboratories Orochimaru had abandoned following his discovery and defection from the Village the serum would ensure that Danzo's vision of Konoha, strong and unmatched, would come true. It's power, to convert a person's chakra into raw physical power and turn anyone who used it into a juggernaut was incredible… He just needed someone to use as a figurehead, someone who could show the Village that Danzo Shimura would provide and protect the village.

_**XXXXX**_

_**Only two scenes since I want to work on 'Legacy'. There would have been a third one, I was given permission by **_Lucillia _**to use the basics of Poisoning The Well [a very interesting little ficlet she wrote and which I highly recommend] but I hadn't finished outlining how it'd go before I got the jolt of inspiration for Legacy's new chapter. Now, onto descriptions:**_

_**Scene One – Set in the 'A whole New World' verse, it sees Tenten being recruited for someone who works for Slade to do a job for him. Also reveals that Slade found the badly injured Lee and is the one keeping him alive.**_

_**Scene Two – Entirely new idea, even though it uses scenes taken from previous Random Scenes and from something I put up on TIM's forum. Idea is that Choji used Danzo's serum to get stronger during a brief period on depression after some assholes mocked him for being fat. Danzo originally approached him acting as a benevolent benefactor but soon showed his true colours. Similar changes to what's planned for Shinobi Comics with Choji looking like Bane from Arkham Origins [Pre-TN1] and having gone rogue to destroy Danzo and everyone who supports him. Will throw up the other 'Danzo serum' ideas another time.**_

**I'm dyslexic, so please point out any mistakes in the spelling or grammar [I use the Irish/English spelling structure, so some may look off to Americans]. Please leave opinions and comments via review or PM, I can't improve without feedback. Well, that's everything I've got to say… Thanks for reading.**

**Highvalour saying thanks for reading**


	63. A Few Drops Of Poison

_**This small ficlet was inspired by 'Poisoning the Well' but Lucillia, if you haven't read the short little ficlet I highly recommend it and it can be found in my Favourites list, and runs with a similar idea but changed just enough to reflect my writing.**_

_**Read, Review, let me know what works and what works not.**_

_**Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto**_

XX Naka Shrine; Outskirts Of Konoha, Fire Country XX

Sasuke sat, tucked away behind a small stand on which sat artefacts belonging to the Uchiha Clan, and did his best not to let his presence be detected. After what he had heard, he doubted he would escape if he was found.

The Uchiha Clan planned rebellion! His clan, one of the Four Noble Clans and co-founders of Konoha, was planning to betray the village they had promised to protect and overthrow the Hokage they swore to serve. It was treason, treason of the highest order… All his life his parents had spoken of how the clan was the village, the village an extension of the clan. Since he could barely walk the idea that to betray one was to betray the other had been drilled into Sasuke's mind. Now, now the clan was betraying the village and Sasuke did not know what to do. Part of him was screaming to keep quiet and stand with the clan but another part, the young and idealistic part, screamed he had to warn the village. That he had to uphold the oath he took upon entering the Academy to protect Konoha from all threats, external AND internal.

Decision made, Sasuke stayed as quiet as possible. His clan were arrogant traitors. They had sensors check the area before entering the shine but thought, since the seals protecting this hidden place could only be undone by another Uchiha, they had no reason to be wary inside the shrine itself. This belief was what kept Sasuke undetected as he listened in, as he learned how the clan would distribute a chakra affecting poison throughout the village via the water system. The Clan's district, which drew and purified its water from further up river, would be unaffected.

As the topic turned from treason to Itachi and any possible involvement in Shisui's death Sasuke drowned out the talk and did his best to come up with a plan. He waited until everyone was gone, waited for hours to be safe, then snuck home and crept into bed. Three sleepless hours later and his alarm sounded, time to face his family. Head down, a mumbled "didn't sleep well" and a refusal to stay and eat breakfast saw Sasuke out of the house before anyone could suspect anything. Sasuke struggled through the classes before following the loudmouth Uzumaki kid's example and skipping out on the rest of the day.

Back into his home he snuck, into the kitchen and under the sink where his parents kept the cleaning supplies… perfect place to hide a poison, since he and Itachi knew better than to go near anything in there. Filling a flask with the poison's powdered form Sasuke made his way across the District, acting calm and like nothing was the matter. The few who saw him gave a pleasant greeting before letting him slip from their minds, he was the second son and a bit of a disappointment at that, as the other Uchiha went about their own business.

XX Hokage's Tower; Konoha, Fire Country (Three Hours Later) XX

Hiruzen Sarutobi, Konoha's Third Hokage and the man known far and wide as the 'Professor', sat there in stunned silence as Fugaku Uchiha's young son recounted his tale a third time. Despite himself Hiruzen found himself mentally complementing both Fugaku and Mikoto for their parenting skills, both their sons truly held the Will of Fire and showed no sign of their clan's hate.

Both Itachi and Sasuke were loyal to Konoha and it pained Hiruzen to know that both would suffer in the minds of the populace once he and his ANBU took the Uchiha into custody and the truth of the planned coup came to light when the clan was put on trial. Giving the order to his ANBU guard, the Hokage and nearly the entirety of the ANBU corps marched towards the Uchiha District. Sasuke trailing some distance behind struggling to keep pace. As they reached the Walls of the Uchiha District, the stench of death and a sight of carnage greeted them.

Uchiha corpses lay scattered along the roads or visible through the windows of their homes. Barring the wounds on their bodies there was no sign of battle, the poison Sasuke had dumped into the water having taken hold and weakened the Uchiha so much that resistance against whoever had attacked was simply impossible.

The Hokage spotted him, for an instant, perched atop the power lines and understood what had happened. Danzo had ordered Itachi to 'deal with the Uchiha' and the boy had done so… Sasuke's plan to leave the Uchiha unable to resist arrest just made it easier.

"Search for survivors." Hiruzen ordered as several of his ANBU prepared to give chase.

A cat masked man looked like he was about to argue but a glance reminded him of his duty to follow the Hokage's orders. As the ANBU spread out and searched for survivors, although Hiruzen did not expect there to be any, a clone was created to intercept and console young Sasuke. Taking a deep breath Hiruzen made his way to where Itachi was, Hiruzen wanted to hear his reasoning for acting on Danzo's orders over his own.

_**XXXXX**_

_**I'm dyslexic, so please point out any mistakes in the spelling or grammar [I use the Irish/English spelling structure, so some may look off to Americans]. Please leave opinions and comments via review or PM, I can't improve without feedback. Well, that's everything I've got to say… Thanks for reading.**_

_**PS: Anyone else having a problem where they upload a file to the site and everything they've underlined has had the formatting changed? Or is that just me?**_

_**Highvalour saying thanks for reading.**_


	64. Team Nightmare

_**Read, Review, let me know what works and what works not.**_

_**Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto**_

_**Fullmetal Alchemist belongs to Hiromu Arakawa**_

_**Devil May Cry belongs to Capcom**_

_**Venom belongs to Marvel Comics**_

_**XXXXX**_

XX Chunin Exam Stadium Stands; Konoha, Fire Country XX

There was a stunned silence that followed Sasuke's announcement. Those who had witnessed his battle during the prelims, or at the very least heard about the events, couldn't believe that Hinata Hyuuga of all people had forced the Uchiha boy to surrender. As he staggered back, driving his oversized sword into the ground to steady himself and began coughing up blood whispers began to spread throughout the gathered shinobi and nobility.

"He looks hurt!"

"Rumours are he has the regeneration of Hashirama Senju…"

"… heard he bested Momochi of Kiri…"

"… exaggerated? That or this 'Hinata Hyuuga' is stronger than the details given indicate."

"… cannot believe the Uchiha lost. But that girl, she'll be one to watch…"

"What was her team again? I have issues with bandits and if her teammates are anyway as good I may hire them…"

"I-I don't…? but I didn't hit you… I chickened out." Hinata said, stupefied as to why she'd won.

"I may have leaned a little too far forward… My mistake." Sasuke chuckled and sprayed blood in front of him. "Eh… Think you could help me off the arena floor? You may have taken out a lung."

"A… A lung?!" Hinata shrieked before rushing forward and letting him lean on her for support. "H-Hang on… I-I-I'll get you to the medics."

"Relax, I'll heal… give me about fifteen minutes and I'll be good as new." Sasuke told her before nodding towards the arena exit. "Just get me over there and I'll be fine."

As Genma announced Sasuke's defeat and called for Tenten to come down for her match against the Hyuuga heiress said heiress helped Sasuke off the arena floor and part way up the steps to the spectators area. Pulling away from her, and leaning against a wall for support, Sasuke shot her a cocky grin.

"Good match… I think you really impressed a lot of people… Congratulations." He laughed as he gently rubbed as his chest and hissed. Cupping his right hand and forming a glowing sphere of pale blue light Sasuke examined the light for a second before tossing it to her. "Catch!"

"Wha-?" Hinata managed to get out before she caught the light, out of surprise more than anything, and her brain felt like it was exploding. Her vision was filled with flickering images, sights of herself handling the beautiful scythe Osiris like someone who had trained all her life to master it. Her entire body ached and muscles screamed at the sensation of liquid fire flowing through her veins. By the time the visions and pain ended, by the time Hinata could focus again, Sasuke was nowhere to be seen.

"Not bad… Not bad at all." A voice sounded from the top of the stairs as someone gave Hinata a slow clap. Leaning over the railings, no sign of any discomfort or injury, was Sasuke. "Consider Osiris a gift, my way of saving thanks... That was a fun fight."

_**X**_

By the time Sasuke rejoined his teammates in the competitor's box the second match was well underway. Naruto barely spared him a second glance, just made a vague grunt of greeting, as he watched Hinata adapt to fighting with Osiris. She was good, using wide, arcing swings of the scythe to deflect Tenten's volleys of kunai.

"Why did you quit? We've hit you harder than that!" Sakura hissed as Sasuke settled down against the railing.

"I was offered a lot of money to do so." Sasuke said like it was the most obvious thing in the world, which it was really. Hiashi Hyuuga had noticed an improvement in Hinata's performance following her victory in the prelims, the praise and positive reinforcement having done wonders for the girl's self-esteem. Deciding to further boost her self-image and standing, Hiashi had simply offered Sasuke a considerable sum of money to make it a good fight and then throw it.

"You took a bribe?" Sakura whispered, any hint of that fact could see her teammate in serious trouble. "Why?"

"I have bills to pay." Sasuke shrugged. "Besides… it's for a good cause."

"… How?" Was all Sakura could ask.

"How's Hinata doing?" Sasuke chuckled as he looked out just in time to see Tenten barely avoid a shredding propeller like attack from Hinata.

Both girls showed small nicks and cuts from the fierce battle, the arena floor littered with discarded weapons and shallow trenches from avoided attacks. The battle was one hell of a crowd pleaser, with nobles visibly excited by the displays of skill and ability… Sasuke really would have to look into getting some kind of 'finder's fee' for bringing this much positive press to Konoha.

"So… She took the scythe in the end?" Naruto asked as Tenten attempted to use her trump card, the Twin Rising Dragons, and covered the entire arena floor in sharp instruments of death.

Tenten smirked as the barrage of kunai, shuriken, swords, axes, spears, daggers and spiked balls rained down. She felt really bad, using something like this on a fellow Konoha ninja, but Hinata had beaten that loud mouth Sasuke… And the skills she'd shown with that beautiful scythe… so surely the younger girl wouldn't come out of it too injured.

"What the…?" Shikamaru muttered as a burst of ethereal blue flames surrounded a diving Hinata and Tenten's weapons passed harmlessly through the heiress.

"Oh that's just Osiris' angelic nature, if you're lucky the scythe might distort time-space for an instant and let you phase through just about anything." Sasuke yawned after asking what had everyone gasping, he'd been checking out the blonde from Suna at the time.

"… You have a weapon that lets you perform the kind of things Time-Space ninjutsu users can only dream off… And you just gave it away?" Choji asked aloud, summing up the opinions of just about every shinobi in the stadium.

"Oh I've got another one lying around somewhere." Sasuke shrugged as a rather confused Hinata decided to 'act now, think later' and push her advantage while Tenten was still in shock. "Besides it's nothing compared to the Kamui!"

"… And what, exactly, is Kamui?" Temari inquired slowly. She'd been listening in, trying to gather any last minute Intel she could, and the idea that Konoha had some kind of secret time-space weapon lying around was very worrying… Although not as worrying as the small smirk Gaara's Armour of Sand was wearing since any sign of emotion on that usually meant he was barely containing his insanity.

"Rare Dojutsu technique that occurs in a very small number of mutated sharingan… Getting said sharingan is a pain and even then you might end up with the Kotoamatsukami or more than likely the 'Eyes of God'." Sasuke them her as he started clapping, Tenten had just surrendered and so Hinata would be advancing further in the competition and should be feeling real good about herself.

"You named one of your clan techniques 'the eyes of god'?" Naruto couldn't help but ask. He knew Sasuke was a cocky little idiot but, even for him, that was some show of arrogance.

"I didn't name any of them, I just took the time to look it up after finding some scrolls on the sharingan." Sasuke defended before breaking into another round of applause once Tenten and Hinata entered the booth. "Sweet party you two had down there... Kinda bummed I missed out on it now."

"Shut up." Tenten all but snarled, she hadn't forgotten what Naruto had said, while Hinata looked like she really wanted to ask him something but was too shy to bring it up in front of the others... That and Naruto openly praising her had the girl all flustered.

"Ahhh, that's cute." Sakura cooed before leaping off the guard rail and landing at Genma's feet in that primal, yet dignified. Crouch she often adapted.

"Eh, what's cute?" Naruto whispered to Sasuke as Genma called for the other competitor.

"You could have the sharingan and you'd still be blind, wouldn't you?" Sasuke muttered into his palm as Shikamaru and Choji rolled their eyes at just how dense the blond could be. Deciding to do one more nice thing for the Hyuuga heiress, Sasuke spoke up. "Hey Hinata, Naruto is gonna take you out to dinner later."

What followed was comical! Hinata fainted with a blissful look on her face, Tenten forced to catch her in case the girl cracked her skull on the tiled floor, while Sasuke tried to explain to Naruto that Hinata liked him. It took Shikamaru, Choji and even the girl from Suna pointing out evidence that she liked him before Naruto caught the hint... All the time Genma yelled up for Shikamaru to get down and start the match.

"Hey Shikamaru, shouldn't you really get going?" Choji asked once Naruto finally agreed to the meal, no promise of dating just the meal.

"Quiet you fool, another thirty seconds and I'll be disqualified." Shikamaru hissed, but it was too late. Naruto and Sasuke, having realised Shikamaru was effectively interfering with Sakura's fight, caught a grip of him and tossed him over the railing. He landed awkwardly beside Sakura and Genma. "... Fine, I'm here."

_**X**_

"Now that we finally have our second competitor, this third match can begin." Genma announced unenthusiastically. After the last two fights, not to mention what he'd heard about the prelims, the man was just too jaded to care. "Shikamaru Nara, Sakura Haruno... Fight!"

Neither made a move. Shikamaru because he knew he had no real way of dealing with someone as fast and stealthy as he'd seen Sakura be in her prelim match and Sakura because they were trying to think of whatever amazingly complex tactic Shikamaru must have developed to beat them, plus how to counter it. The pair stood, locked in a continuous cycle of awaiting the other's opening move, for some time.

"Huh... Guess I should start this." Shikamaru sighed before drawing a pair of kunai and launching them at Sakura, who easily twisted to avoid them without calling out her 'Other'.

And so it went, Shikamaru's 'going through the motions' failing to challenge Sakura enough to transform and Sakura holding back their true abilities [because that's what Shinobi are meant to do] left the gather crowd sorely disappointed after the previous two incredible matches. In fact, by the time Sakura finally got in close enough to punch Shikamaru and lay him out, all the energy and excitement Hinata's back-to-back matches had generated was gone. Drained away and replaced with boredom.

"Now that that waste of everybody's time is finished, let us move onto Choji Akimichi Vs. Temari of Suna." Genma yawned as before either had even left the arena floor.

When Sakura made it back to the competitor's booth they were practically spitting venom. Shikamaru had robbed them of a chance to showcase their abilities... Now that had to wait until the next round before anyone could see just how skilled a kunoichi their were. Sakura snapped at Sasuke when he congratulated him on making it to the next round and nearly ripped Naruto's head off when he tried to console her over not being able to show off. Although the news that Hinata had finally managed to get Naruto to notice her, even if it took Sasuke volunteering him, did bring a small smile to their face.

"That's wonderful news Hinata, we're delighted for you." Sakura told Hinata, who was still riding on Cloud-9, once the shy heiress managed to finish telling her how the 'date' had been arranged.

"Uchiha!" Someone barked just as Choji and Temari began their battle. It was Gaara, the young Suna shinobi having finally reached the end of his patience. "Why did you surrender? Why will you not face me in the arena?"

"Because A) Hinata deserved that win, no doubt in my mind. B) My reason are my own..." Sasuke said, not wanting to admit to having been bribed in front of Hinata. "... And 3) because I knew I wouldn't be facing you."

"Wouldn't be...? You think the 'monster girl' is your better?" Gaara demanded to know, he needed to know if killing her would validate his existence more than targeting the Uchiha.

"he may not look like much... May not know much about life and, unless he gets his head out of those dumb alchemy texts, I doubt he'll live much... But You have to face Naruto next." Sasuke declared, no sign of humour or his usual playful nature anywhere on the Uchiha's face. "And that's why I know you and I would never, in a million universes, face each other."

"Him!" Gaara snarled as he pointed at the red clad blond. "You think he'll defeat me?"

"I don't think it..." Sasuke snarled back as he draped an arm around Naruto in a show of support. "... I know it. In fact, of everyone in this tournament, Naruto Uzumaki is the one person I know would beat me. So you Gaara, and the little monster you got inside you, stopped being someone I even considered facing the second those balls got picked and he was announced as the one who would kick your ass!"

_**XXXXX**_

_**I've left it so long between writing chapters of this story I have actually forgotten the piss poor excuse for characterisation I gave the characters... Anyway here is everyone's Xmas present, I'd have posted it yesterday but I left my laptop in my parents house when I was there.**_

_**I'm dyslexic, so please point out any mistakes in the spelling or grammar [I use the Irish/English spelling structure, so some may look off to Americans]. Please leave opinions and comments via review or PM, I can't improve without feedback. Well, that's everything I've got to say… Thanks for reading.**_

_**PS: Anyone else having a problem where they upload a file to the site and everything they've underlined has had the formatting changed? Or is that just me?**_

_**Highvalour saying thanks for reading.**_


	65. shikaku

_**Read, Review, let me know what works and what works not.**_

_**Naruto Belongs To Masashi Kishimoto**_

_**Each Intellectual Property Belongs To Its Respective Owner**_

_**XXXXX**_

XX Uchiha District; Konoha, Fire Country XX

Sasuke just stood in at the door to the main room, his eyes locked on the centre of the floor. The Hokage had arranged for the entire compound to be cleaned and the blood stains washed away but Sasuke still remembered where each and every splatter had been. That was why he wouldn't, couldn't stay in his parent's home. That was why he, like many of Konoha's orphans, was going to spend time with a carer until he could learn how to look after himself.

"Are you alright my young lord?" Tanomoshii asked from his position at the front door. The Hokage had introduced Sasuke to the older man the day before and said that Tanomoshii would be overseeing the assets of his Clan until Sasuke was old enough to handle it himself. Tanomoshii would be handling things like arranging who is permitted to take over the running of the clan's forges and other businesses.

"Yes." Sasuke said emotionlessly as he turned away and made his way down to his room… What use been his room.

Pushing the door open and entering Sasuke made straight for his wardrobe and collected his clothes, his training weapons and his academy supplies. After dumping them into a pair of large bags and leaving them by the doorway Sasuke looked around, looking for anything else he wanted to take with him. The photos with his family brought back memories too painful to deal with, his old toys and games seemed childish and beneath him now and the story books he'd enjoyed held no more wonder.

'_Tanomoshii can put the rest in storage.'_ Sasuke thought as he turned to leave.

Are you ready my lord?" Tanomoshii asked as he opened the front door for the last loyal Uchiha. When Sasuke didn't answer Tanomoshii tried again to start some form of conversation. "Is that all you want to take?"

"Yes." Sasuke said bluntly before falling silent. Leaving his home Sasuke and his Kage appointed retainer made their way towards the Naka Shrine, the most important site the Uchiha had. Leaving Tanomoshii had the foot of the hill Sasuke climbed the steps to the shrine alone, this was a solo journey. Entering the hidden chambers beneath the shrine Sasuke stared at the great rock that hung centrepiece to his Clan's meeting place. Sasuke couldn't read it, the scratches meant to pass as language impossible to make out, so he turned away. Down hidden side passages Sasuke moved. Passing chambers filled with hideous statues and beautiful, if impractical, weapons Sasuke continued on. Chambers lined with scrolls, all written in tongues Sasuke couldn't even hope to understand, where dismissed as he continued towards his goal.

The Head's Chamber, a vault dedicated to holding the most iconic items and artefacts of former Uchiha Clan Heads. Here the Uchiha could trace their history back more than five centuries, with only three breaks in the chain. The Dishonoured, Clan Heads whose actions had brought such shame upon the clan that their very name was taboo, had no record in the Chamber. The plinth which should have carried their memorials stood empty.

Fugaku's plinth was empty, it being the duty of the incoming Clan Head to honour his/her predecessor by placing the engraved plate bearing their likeness and the relevant artefacts in the Chamber as a sign of accepting the duties of rule. A duty that was his, the unfavourite, because of Itac- Because of That Man.

Trying to decide what he should place upon the plinth, his father's police uniform or something from the man's days on the battlefield, Sasuke took note of another plinth. This on sat to the left of his father's, where the next Clan Head would be placed, but was already named.

_Itachi Uchiha. Clan Head To ._

'_They were already expecting him to take over.' _Sasuke thought bitterly. Sure it was almost a given that their 'perfect little prodigy' would succeed but tradition dictated that any could put their name forward for consideration. For them to already have his name, before Sasuke even had a chance to be tested, was… was…

"They… They… GAARGH!" Sasuke's scream of rage echoed throughout the chamber as he knocked over That Man's plinth and smashed his Father's. Screaming, roaring and crying Sasuke desecrated the Chamber. Plinths knocked over, artefacts shattered against busts. When the childish tantrum ended only a handful of plinths remained. Ignoring the split skin of his bloody knuckles, and the faint ache in his eyes, Sasuke turned to leave. As he neared the Chamber's entrance he caught sight of something through the dust and debris out of the corner of his eye. He stopped, he turned and he moved to pick it out from the pile of shattered stone and dented metal.

It was part of the dedication to his grandmother, Benihime Uchiha, and was the motto of the Konoha Military Police Force.

"The Clan Is The Village, The Village The Clan. We Protect The Clan, Now And Always." Sasuke read slowly. Turning to look to his grandmother's plinth Sasuke felt a tiny ping of guilt. It had been one he'd shattered in his fury. Setting the shard of ceramic down and retrieving her artefacts, a military police vest and ornate spear, Sasuke felt the ach in his eyes slowly fade away as the rage and anger dwindled. Bowing respectively Sasuke asked forgiveness. "I apologise, honoured ancestor, for my actions… And I thank you for your words of wisdom and guidance."

When he left the Shrine for the last time Sasuke stopped just long enough to retrieve his bags. He ignored Tanomoshii as the old man asked him what had happened. Sasuke ignored the gawks and whispers of the townsfolk as he entered the village proper. It was only once they had reached the apartment complex the Hokage had arranged for him to stay in temporarily did Sasuke even glance towards Tanomoshii.

"How much money do I have?" He asked.

"Eh… Em… You inherited just about everything that was in the possession of your Clan." Tanomoshii began, a bit thrown off by the red iris and three black tomoe of the fully mature sharingan in Sasuke's eyes. The thin blood stains also had him concerned as to what had happened in the shrine. "Your Clan is one of Konoha's Four Great Noble Houses and as such is one of the wealthiest. While the construction of the Clan District, and taking on of all financial responsibilities relating to the Military Police, following the Kyuubi Attack has incurred a notable cost you still have a fortune I would presume rivals the entirety of the Hyuuga's wealth."

"And you can arrange for it to be spent." It wasn't a question but a statement. "I want you to arrange for training. Hire the best; Jonin, ANBU… Retired Elders. I don't care who, just get the best."

"Of course my lord, what do you wish to receive additional tutorship in?" Tanomoshii asked as he began to make a note.

"Everything. Ninjutsu, taijutsu, genjutsu… Everything." Sasuke told him as they stepped into the apartment which was to serve as Sasuke's temporary home until a more permanent carer could be found. "I'll need weapon training, instruction in stealth and reconnaissance as well… Don't forget conditioning; speed, strength, stamina… Chakra and pain tolerance should be given priority."

"I-I see." Tanomoshii said as he took note of everything Sasuke mentioned. "I am sure we can find someone to provide extra-curricular lessions-"

"Not someone! Masters!" Sasuke snarled and Tanomoshii couldn't help but gasp as the three tomoe blurred and fused into six elongated spikes before returning to normal. "I don't care about price, pay for the best in their individual fields. Find me ex-ANBU, current ones if needs be, to train me. I will endure whatever they throw at me."

"I… see my lord." Tanomoshii said slowly, wondering if he'd imagined the eyes changing or… No, best not to concern himself with the secrets of the Uchiha. "I shall see to it immediately. Shall there be anything else my lord?"

"Just one. Stop calling me lord… I'm no Clan Head, nor will I ever be." Sasuke told him before sitting on the corner of his small bed and falling silent. Tanomoshii took the silent dismissal and left quickly, the Hokage wanted a full report.

XX Third Training Ground; Konoha, Fire Country – Nine Months Later XX

Sasuke Uchiha stood in the deserted field between a trio of training posts. He was running through a series of exercises one of his trainers had assigned. On the polls were a series of marked patches, different colours for different styles, which he was to strike using a set kata. Once a nearby cassette player beeped he was to change kata and strike a different set of marks.

"BEEP – Red."

Sasuke switched, striking the red marks with everything he had. Over the last nine months he had spent who knew how much, Tanomoshii most likely, hiring the best of the best Konoha had to offer for training. Every day he trained until he bled and then he trained even more to get stronger… And it was working. His eyes, his sharingan, let him track his blows. They captured everything, in perfect detail, and showed when he was even a millimetre off centre with his blows. And every day the amount he was out shortened. And every day he got one more strike perfect. Slow, but steady, he was getting better.

"BEEP – Green."

Switching out again he had to wonder, was he getting better fast enough. Would he ever close the gap?

'_Not likely._ _He was the prodigy, you're the loser.' _ Sasuke ignored the voice in his ear, gnawing away at the back of his mind. All his doubts, all his fears and all the hate he carried with him just loved to well up and mock him when he was alone. Whenever he felt he was getting better the voice just slithered in and, with a single comment, destroyed the hope and pride his achievements built.

"BEEP – Blue."

Sasuke increased the pace and started all but attacking the blue markings. Hitting faster and harder Sasuke ignored the beep, and the next, and just kept striking over and over.

"I believe you are meant to be striking the green ones, Sir." A voice called out. "And those look more like red to me."

The voice jerked Sasuke out of it and made him stop. Looking from the marks, now stained red, to his bloody knuckles Sasuke took a deep breath and turned.

"What is it Tanomoshii?" He asked before moving towards the player and switching it off.

"I thought you would like to know I have managed to place that request you asked for, the one for a Shurikenjutsu instructor." Tanomoshii informed him as the older man walked briskly across the training field. "I had it labelled an A-Rank, fee of 350,000 ryo, and informed the Hokage's office you only want it given to the most skilled practitioner."

Thank you Tanomoshii." Sasuke said as he cleaned and bandaged his knuckles. "Is there anything else?"

"It is five minutes to one and this fine Tuesday… Should you not be at the Academy?" The old man's words came more as a sigh than anything. He'd been charged with overseeing Sasuke's welfare, as well as providing regular updates on the boy's mental health and stability, but Sasuke's self-destructive training and disinterest in anything that did not relate to the ninja arts made that difficult.

"It was moving too slowly, interfering with my training." Sasuke shrugged as he unpacked the weapons, swords and a bo staff, he intended to train with. "As long as I get at least a Special Jonin to sign off as to having overseen training I can still take the exam when it comes around."

"… I see. Well, don't forget you have an appointment with Mr. Kuroryoushi at four." Tanomoshii sighed before turning to leave. He'd made it about three metres before he stopped, having just remembered the other reason he'd come out. "And sir, I've managed to secure a meeting with Kateikyoushi Sarutobi for you on Friday. He's a cousin of the Hokage and the chief seals master of the Sarutobi Clan."

"Is he any good?" Sasuke asked disinterestedly as he picked up a second ninto for his off hand and began practicing. He didn't care much about fuinjutsu, anything he needed could easily be bought, but had agreed to consider studying it after Tanomoshii's pestering on the subject grew too annoying.

"Kateikyoushi studying under the late Mito Uzumaki, wife of the First Hokage, and in turn tutored Jiraiya of the Sannin." Tanomoshii replied, pride in his voice at having potentially gotten the most skilled seal master in the village as an instructor for Sasuke. Heavens knew the boy was overworking his body and the time sitting and learning fuinjutsu would do him wonders.

"Fine." Sasuke said before lapsing into silence and returning to his training.

XX Hokage's Office; Konoha, Fire Country – Fifteen Months Later XX

Danzo Shimura, the so-called 'Darkness of the Shinobi' and supreme commander of Konoha's Black-Ops division 'ROOT', entered the office of his oldest friend and most bitter rival. Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, looked up in surprise as the scarred and lame old shinobi entered and sat across from him.

"We need to talk." Danzo said bluntly, completely skipping the pointless banter and linguistic minefield they often put the other through.

"About?" Hiruzen asked innocently even though he knew why the old warhawk was there.

"You let the Uchiha take the Graduation Exam." Danzo began. "The boy passed top of a graduating class two years his senior."

"He had made excellent progress according to his tutors and he wished to take the exam." Hiruzen shrugged. "He is not the first to do so, nor do I imagine he will be the last… What is the problem, you should be happy a fine young shinobi is ready to begin serving Konoha."

"But will he serve Konoha?!" Danzo hissed. "Is he loyal to the village and training so hard to protect it or is he obsessing over killing Itachi and training to do so? Tanomoshii's reports warn about Sasuke's pursuit of power and how it could present a possible opening for enemy agents to turn him."

"I don't recall forwarding copies of Tanomoshii's reports to you." Hiruzen laughed, first point to him.

"The point still stands, the hate Sasuke uses to numb the pain and fuel his training is a risk and we cannot risk a loose cannon like him turning on us." Danzo argued. "If that hate is not brought under control, if the boy is not moulded effectively, then we will be looking at him either going rogue or on a spree killing."

"Which is why I am attempting to find the ideal team for him… Someone who can teach the boy the Will of Fire." Hiruzen began before Danzo cut him off.

"Who, Hatake? Don't joke… The man's so broken it's a miracle he hasn't opened his own wrists years ago." Danzo snorted before proceeding to tear into all the potential jonin instructors Hiruzen had available. "None of them are able to deal with him, not of them will instil the values and concepts needed to keep the boy from turning against us."

"And you think you can?" Hiruzen sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. _'Same shit, different day… Danzo, you sound like a broken record sometimes.'_ "I will not sign Sasuke over to you and the ROOT. I turn a blind eye to you often enough, but you will not take Sasuke. Am I clear?"

"Afraid Itachi will consider entrusting Sasuke to me as failing to protect the boy?" Danzo asked, leaning forward to read Hiruzen's face. And although the kage gave no external sign Danzo knew he'd scored a point. "When was the last time a report came in from our little spy? Nine, ten months?"

"What have you heard?" Hiruzen asked, annoyed that Danzo's spy network had Intel Jiraiya hadn't supplied yet.

"A village in Fang Country. Driven mad enough to tear each other apart… Sole survivor was left a blubbering mess but managed to get one thing across. The man who caused it all had red eyes and wore a coat matching the Akatsuki robe."

"Maintaining his cover, Itachi knew he would have to play the part while operating as my agent inside the Akatsuki." Hiruzen said, dismissing Danzo's implications. "That said, knowledge of Akatsuki's activities is vital if what Jiraiya has gathered is correct… I'll arrange for an investigative squad to move out and study the village."

"Good. But the issue with Sasuke still stands… He would be of best use to the village under my training." Danzo began, carefully picking his words so as not to send Hiruzen into a frenzy. "Just give me long enough to hone him into an effective shinobi for the village. Eighteen months, twenty four at the most, and I will hand you back the perfect shinobi. Skilled, disciplined, loyal-"

"A drone indoctrinated into serving you before this office?" Hiruzen cut in.

"Not a drone, a lieutenant. I'll teach him to lead with his head… Not be led by his heart." Danzo promised as he slowly rose to his feet. "I'll send him to the I&T Division regularly, so they can evaluate him, and I'm sure Tanomoshii will report anything too out of the ordinary."

"I haven't authorised his assignment to a squad you have influence over." Hiruzen called after Danzo as the old cripple left.

"You never do… It's how you keep your conscience clear." Danzo spat as he pushed the door open and stormed out, muttering about hypocrites and 'plausible deniability'.

_**XXXXX**_

_**Sorry if the end came across as kinda weak but I'm tired and wanna go to sleep. I mostly wrote this as a rough draft of a possible backstory for Sasuke in Shinobi Comics, with ROOT and Danzo acting as the Nolanverse League of Shadows and Ra's respectfully. Another idea is to make it a stand-alone with the title [if translated a certain way] giving an idea of who Sasuke would be based on.**_

_**Incidently does this sound like a good Narutoverse batsuit; cowl similar to Torune's mask with dark grey or black version of the cloaks ANBU sometimes wear over an outfit similar to Slade Wilson's island gear from Arrow?**_

_**I'm dyslexic, so please point out any mistakes in spelling or grammar [I spell things the way they do in England and Ireland, so some things may look off to Americans]. Please leave your opinion via review or send them via PM, I'd like to know what you think. Well, I think that's everything I've gotta say so, hope you enjoyed the chapter.**_

_**This is Highvalour saying bye and thanks for reading.**_


	66. Random Scenes 6

_**Read, Review, let me know what works and doesn't.**_

_**Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto**_

XX Daimyo's Villa, Occupied Wave Country XX

The mercenary guards patrolling the villa's outskirts were nervous. Gato, their employer, had sided with Kiri in the war and had made plenty of enemies on the mainland, which made staying just a few short miles off the coast of Fire Country very dangerous. They were very far from the southern plateau, which Water Country had invaded a few months back and was barely holding which meant that, while Konoha had more pressing matters in the area, they were some distance from support in the event of an attack.

But at least Kiri had sent that squad of shinobi to back them up, that was something to take comfort in. At least that was what one poor unfortunate guard thought just before a ninto was driven through his back, straight through his heart. A glowed hand smothered any cries for help the guard attempted as he bled out. Stashing the body out of sight the killer moved forward, joined by two others.

Anyone who caught sight of one of them, and wasn't immediately killed by one of the others, would have been unable to identify their Village of Origin. The grey fatigues matched those worn by Kiri, but the slim black flak jackets looked like modified Kumo variants. The cloth masks and tinted goggles hid the features and made attempting to guess near impossible. Which was the point.

Formed during the tail end of the Second Great War the ROOT, Konoha's black-ops division, had faithfully defended Konoha from all threats with or without official recognition. They acted this way for several reasons; the time taken to gain permission could allow the threat to harm Konoha, it is easier to ask forgiveness than permission in many cases and of course it gave the Village plausible deniability should they be captured.

Following the Uchiha Rebellion, actually a full scale Civil War with entire clans split and fighting on either side, Konoha was weak. Weak enough that the Lightning Daimyo felt his country could easily conquer Fire Country. It proved easy to motivate the Raikage, who still coveted the kekkei genkai of Konoha , to declare war and invade. Suna's refusal to render aid to Konoha set the stage.

The Fourth Great War officially started when Iwa took advantage of Suna's recent treaty break with Konoha to invade the deserts of Wind Country, the Tsuchikage still sore after Suna's victories in the previous war. As the Four Great Nations faced off the Lesser Nations saw their chance to claim prestige or territory and joined in on different sides. Suna was forced to go back to Konoha and beg for assistance, using the fact that Iwa would invade Fire Country for revenge as soon as they finished with Wind. Water Country and the monsters they kept locked up in Kiri joined late, more than three years into the War, but wasted no time in expanding. Annexing the ruins of Whirlpool, to use as a staging ground, and then hitting the south eastern part of Fire Country Kiri's troops surged from the sea like demons for childhood tales.

All of this meant Konoha was under pressure, and when under pressure Konoha did what it does best. Made monsters out of men. Prisoners from the losing side of the Rebellion, or their children in some cases, where handed over to Danzo Shimura for shaping into weapons loyal and useful to the Village. The ROOT was responsible for spreading discord amongst enemy ranks, responsible for poisoning food supplies and for destroying any infrastructure in Enemy territory. They were not Shinobi, warriors who fought in the open, but assassins. They were saboteurs and terrorists, attacking anything and everyone that benefited the enemies of Konoha.

Which was why they had been sent here, to Wave. Gato and his shipping empire was funding the Water Country war effort in exchange for protection and support in his own expansions, neither of which was in Konoha's interest. Gato had recently led a mercenary invasion of the tiny country off Fire Country's southern coast, leading the takeover personally. This was a golden opportunity for Konoha to remove a powerful backer and possibly gain access to Kiri intelligence. That was why the three man squad was silently making their way through the Daimyo's villa, silently killing the unskilled mercenaries as they went. As they climbed the levels of the villa, sweeping each floor as they went for any sign of Gato, The mission Commander began to feel like something was wrong. A feeling that was verified when one of the younger ROOTs, Girl he hadn't worked with before, drew her ninto. His other subordinate, a Boy who he had worked with many times, drew both of his own blades just before the wall to their right shattered and something rushed them.

The wall to their left exploded inwards, away from them, as the Boy rushed forward to intercept the first attacker. A mass of water shifted and formed into a pale haired young man who generated a hammer of pure chakra to attack them with. The Girl dove over the second attacker, cupping her free hand and launching another chakra burst as the Commander dodged back.

The Commander only had a fraction of a second to take in the two battles, the Girl easily twisting around the charka weapons her watery foe was swinging while the Boy's chakra flow swords clashed with the chakra flow katana wielded by a clearly deranged man.

"The Thunder and Second Demon of the Mist." The Commander noted. But before he could move to assist, or move on and complete the mission, the ceiling above caved in as a table sized slab of sharpened metal descended to try and bisect him. Twisting sideways as blade and wielder crashed down the Commander soon found himself face to face with the Demon of the Bloody Mist, Zabuza Momochi.

"Orders." The Boy requested, did they stay and fight or focus on finding Gato.

"Swordsmen take priority, do not allow your opponents to survive." The Commander ordered as he moved to close the distance between himself and Momochi, making it more difficult for the Kiri Swordsman to swing that large sword of his effectively.

_**XXXXX**_

XX Konoha Hospital; Konoha, Fire Country XX

Naruto turned when he heard the voice behind him. There, standing proud as punch, was the Closeted-Perv. Which was exactly how Naruto addressed him, loudly.

"Ebisu is a closeted pervert?" Kakashi asked, feigning surprise. The story of how Naruto had used his rather immature take on the Transformation Technique, plus close to a hundred Shadow Clones, to humiliate the veteran instructor had already made its rounds along the Konoha grapevine.

"Yeah, yeah… Ages ago, with my Harem Jutsu, this guy totally-" Naruto tried to recap, only for Ebisu to catch him in a headlock and hiss.

"Shut up and I'll buy you whatever you want to eat." When Naruto stopped Ebisu glanced at the masked jonin, whose one visible eyebrow was quirked inquisitively, and gulped. "Oh, it's nothing. Nothing at all… You know kids, always spinning yarns."

"So you two have met, who knew?" Kakashi said, drawing on all his shinobi experience not to slip up and smile. "That's great, now I don't have to introduce you. So Ebisu, I'll leave Naruto in your capable hands and check in at some point to get an update."

"Wait! No! This isn't fair, you can't just dump me on this loser and play favourites with Sasuke!" Naruto yelled as Kakashi turned to leave, drawing attention from many of the patients and staff.

"Naruto." Kakashi began before he realise that to those not privy to the inner workings of Kakashi Hatake that was exactly what it looked like. Taking a deep breath, turning back to face his genin and deciding to be honest Kakashi let out a sigh. "Ebisu, how about some coffee?"

"Eh, oh… I'm actually not that big a fan of coffee." Ebisu said before he noticed the 'go away, come back in five minutes' look Kakashi was shooting him. "But I could really go for a nice soothing cup of tea, would either of you care for something?"

"I'll have a half-caf latte with skimmed milk and two sugars. Naruto will go for a decaf with cream and one sugar." Kakashi answered, increasing the 'go away vibes he was directing at Ebisu. "Oh, and if they happen to have any appetising sandwiches get me one. I missed breakfast."

"I… I don't think the café here in the hospital does half-caf." Ebisu pointed out somewhat timidly.

"Then find one that does." Kakashi growled, swapping out the 'go away' for 'leave or be killed'. "Naruto and I will be waiting for you on the roof when you get back."

As Ebisu departed, having seemingly been demoted from tutor to the elite to fetching coffee, Kakashi led Naruto to the roof. Once they were outside, and after Kakashi had ensured that no one was listening in, Kakashi sat Naruto down and began to explain why he wasn't taking him for the month and instead focusing on Sasuke.

"Naruto, do you know what Shakaku is?" Kakashi began slowly, unsure of how to explain his fears and suspicions.

"Nope." Naruto answered.

"It's another name for the Ichibi, the weakest of the Nine Tailed Beasts." Kakashi began. "And I think Sasuke's opponent might be the host of it."

"Gaara's like me?!" Naruto gasped, the idea of meeting someone else who was host to a demon being a big deal.

"No! Heavens above No!" Kakashi snapped aghast. "Gaara is nothing like you Naruto. Gaara may be host to a demon like you, but the seals holding it are far weaker and most likely allowing the demon to seep through. The bloodlust and sadism I sensed during Gaara's match against Lee are proof of that… Naruto, you're a good kid. A little thick sometimes but a good kid at heart. But Gaara, I don't think there's enough humanity left in that child to fill a thimble."

"So what you're saying is, because Gaara is dangerous of there's a demon in him." Naruto's voice was hollow, was that really how Kakashi say the containers?

"No, no Naruto. Not at all. He is dangerous because the seal holding the demon back is bad the demon's influence is leaking through." Kakashi said quickly as he tried to come up with a way to convince Naruto that wasn't what he meant. "Think of it like this; say we have a big jug with some blue coloured water in it. That water is the human, that has the demon in them. Then beside it we have another jug with red coloured water, for the demon's power and influence. Now if we add a tiny bit of the red into the blue what happens to it?"

"It'll turn purple?" Naruto guessed, not entirely sure where Kakashi was going with this.

"If you added enough red, yes. But if we just added a tiny bit?"

"The blue with turn kinda reddish, but still be blue." Naruto shrugged, he still didn't get it.

"Exactly." Kakashi said happily, seeming to think Naruto did get it. "The red has a little influence but the host is still the host. Now what would happen if we added more red, so much red that it outweighed the blue?"

"Then it'd turn red… Oh." Naruto finally got it. "So you're saying Gaara isn't dangerous just because of this Shakuka or whatever but because he's using its power so much it's affecting him?"

"Yes, and that's why Gaara is dangerous enough that I have to focus on Sasuke for the time being." Kakashi told him before looking up and spotting Ebisu approaching. "Look Naruto, I'll make you a deal. You go with Ebisu and focus on improving your basic skills, particularly chakra control, and I might consider passing on a very impressive jutsu I know… But only if you really improve. Deal?"

"Deal!" Naruto yelled before turning, spotting Ebisu and rushing towards the startled Special Jonin. Before Ebisu could say anything Naruto had a grip of him and was off, dragging the much larger man behind him into the distance to start training.

"Well, that went easier than expect." Kakashi mused as he walked forward and caught the coffee cup that had been launched skyward when Naruto grabbed Ebisu. Chuckling to himself as he made his way down the stairs Kakashi took a nice long sip of… decaf? "Oh, that's bad."

_**XXXXX**_

_**Two little scenes.**_

_**First is something that just popped into my head while I was eating. No real inspiration, no real build up just suddenly had this rough idea that I started writing. Basically Itachi chose clan not village and Uchiha tried their coup, supported by groups in other clans. Short Civil War, which the Uchiha lost, weakens Konoha enough that Lightning/Kumo decide to attack… One thing leads to another and Fourth Shinobi War erupts without Tobi or Akatsuki having any involvement [although the do make lots of money fighting for the smaller villages]. Idea for the actual scene was tweaked a bit, originally it was basically a three player run of a Tenchu mission, with the ROOts [Sasuke, Kiba and Hinata who've gone through Spartan-II like training and indoctrination] running it smoothly. Decided to remove the reveal, add in the Swordsmen and leave it as a mission gone FUBAR instead.**_

_**Second was the build up to another idea I have, but kinda got subconsciously rewritten into Kakashi doing the smart thing and taking five minutes to explain why he didn't train Naruto for the Finals [next Randoms might have me show this idea I got, not sure].**_

_**I'm dyslexic, so please point out any mistakes in spelling or grammar [I spell things the way they do in England and Ireland, so some things may look off to Americans]. Please leave your opinion via review or send them via PM, I'd like to know what you think. Well, I think that's everything I've gotta say so, hope you enjoyed the chapter.**_

_**This is Highvalour saying bye and thanks for reading.**_


	67. Early Graduation - Redo

_**Had been working on a follow up to the 'Shikaku' idea when his hit me and I found I couldn't get anything else done. Redoing of chapters 31 and 44, the one where Sasuke graduates early and is put on Guy's team. Let me know if it works better, or if it sucks even worse than the earlier drafts?**_

_**Read, Review, let me know what works and doesn't.**_

_**Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto**_

XX Konoha Shinobi Academy, Konoha; Fire Country XX

"Right then, let's get this out of the way." Mizuki sighed before turning to the class. "Right, is everyone paying attention? I've got an announcement to make."

"No wait, Sasuke isn't here!" Shrieked Sakura Haruno. Well truthfully she didn't shriek, she just said it loudly, but Mizuki had been out the night before and was to tired, and hungover, to be as patient as he usually was.

"Well that's too bad." Mizuki said, a bit harsher than he meant to an account of his pounding head. "Where is he anyway?"

"He was sent to the nurse earlier, I think he's really sick." Sakura said, the deep concern for 'Her Sasuke' evident in her voice.

"Well than this won't apply to him." Mizuki said before holding up several forms. "As some of you may know students can apply to take the graduation exam earlier if the want, providing they have passed two years already. The exam is being held tomorrow for the year above you and I have several application forms in case any of you want to try out."

Only the Uzumaki brat raised his hand for one and since the dumbass had applied last year as well Mizuki didn't need to explain how to fill it in. That meant that Mizuki could let them go early for lunch and go take a nap in the staff room. Iruka would be back by the time lunch ended from handing in the yearly results and he could handle the class just fine on his own.

As Mizuki began to doze off someone knocked on the staff room door. Grumbling to himself Mizuki opened the door to see Sasuke Uchiha standing there. The boy had been fighting off a bad case of the flu for the last week and it had affected his performance, although from the looks of it the worst had past and the Last Loyal Uchiha was well on his way back to full health.

"What is it Sasuke?" Mizuki asked, trying real hard not to sound too rude to the boy.

"I wanted to get one of those forms." The last loyal Uchiha said, his voice sounding somewhat weaker than it normally did.

"Fine." Mizuki muttered before retrieving a form and handing it over. Normally he'd have argued against letting Sasuke try but he was tired, hungover and not in the mood for an argument. After explaining how to fill it in he sent the boy on his way. Writing a quick note that promised a painful death to anyone else that disturbed him, Mizuki lay down with the intention of falling asleep. Completely unaware of he had just done something that could, and would, alter a lot of people's plans.

The next day Mizuki barely glanced up from the assignments he was correcting as one of the other instructors called Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki out of class to attend the graduation exam. The day continued mostly as normal although class was much smoother now that Uzumaki wasn't causing trouble and Sasuke's presence wasn't distracting just about every girl, and one or two of the guys.

Getting on with class, setting assignments for over the break and stopping the occasional student from pranking another took up almost the entire school day. By the time Naruto stomped back in, head down and shoulders slumped down in defeat, the class was counting down the minutes until they could leave.

"How'd you do Naruto?" Iruka asked, he knew that Naruto being here meant the boy had failed but having been gone this long must mean he'd come very close to passing.

"Stupid jutsu, stupid instructors, stupid exam." Naruto grumbled as he dropped into his seat and rested his head on the desk, arms wrapped around to hide his face from everyone.

"Hey loser, where's Sasuke!" Ami yelled from across the classroom, having apparently not noticed that Naruto was back even after he walked right past her… A skilled kunoichi she was not.

"Dunno." Naruto shrugged half-heartedly. "That white-eyed weirdo beat him up pretty bad, maybe he's gone to the nurse."

"WHAT!" A dozen or so screams rang out before the entirety of the Sasuke Uchiha Fan Club descended on a scared Naruto, some wanting information on the boy who'd dare hurt 'their' precious Sasuke while others wanted to beat up Naruto for daring to insult 'Their' Sasuke by saying he lost.

XX Academy Training Field; Konoha, Fire Country – Earlier That Day XX

Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki sat side by side, not looking at or speaking to each other, as the older students were called up one by one to be evaluated in shurikenjutsu. The names were called in alphabetical order, but since both where last minute add-ons they had to wait until everyone else had gone first. The test was simple really, twenty targets with different areas assigned different values. The targets further away would have a higher point value than those closer and any that were partly obscured had bonus points added as well. One-twenty was the passing score but anything below a one-sixty was considered barely passing if the way the older kids and instructors talked was anything to go by.

While Sasuke was watching each student go, trying to spot any tiny trick that could be useful, Naruto sat grinning like an idiot. He'd passed this section last time, getting exactly one hundred and twenty, so he'd have no problem this time. He'd also been practicing and practising on his taijutsu, which was what had failed him the last time, and he knew that this time he'd manage it.

"Uchiha, Sasuke!" The instructor, a big man named Daikoku Funeno, yelled as the last of the twelve year olds finished up. "Take your position and begin when I say too."

Daikoku took up a position from which he could observe the entirety of the targets and readied his stopwatch. As soon as the order to begin had left his mouth Sasuke was in motion, shuriken and kunai sailing through the air and sinking into their targets. After just over four and a half seconds Daikoku stopped the timer and moved to inspect Sasuke's work. Looking over the targets, where the kunai had hit and how deeply they penetrated Daikoku added up Sasuke's score.

"Alright. Uzumaki, Naruto… You're next." The instructor yelled once he'd removed the mixture of weapons Sasuke had left. As Naruto took his place Daikoku passed a clipboard with everyone's results on it to another instructor and made his way to his observation post. "Begin!"

Naruto snatched up kunai and shuriken, firing them off as quickly as he could. He was gonna pass dammit, this time for sure. It took Naruto just under five seconds to complete his exam and, as Daikoku moved to inspect his skills, Naruto was bouncing on tiptoes with excitement.

"One of the kunai missed the mark, that's a ten point deduction." Naruto heard the words and fear gripped his heart. He'd messed up?! No, no he'd practised and practised for weeks to get even better than last year. "Hey Kisuke, Uzumaki got one twenty-nine… That's everyone so call out the failures and I'll get us started for the taijutsu."

Naruto ignored the blonde haired chunin as he listed off all those who'd failed to pass the first stage, just three which was better than when Naruto had taken the exam last year, and rushed off to where the taijutsu exam took part. He was gonna do it, today was the day Naruto Uzumaki graduated and became a genin!

Sasuke was called up once the older students finished. The first part of the taijutsu exam was pretty simple. Just run through some basic kata while the instructor inspected your form. Go through the motions, mixing it up if you were told to, and you'd pass easily enough. The hard part would be later, when he had to actually face the older students in taijutsu spars. Performing the katas flawlessly, improvising to adapt without hesitation, Sasuke paid his blonde haired classmate no attention as the other eleven year old just about passed.

When the spars began, names being picked out of a hat at random, Sasuke did well in his first two matches. In the first his opponent, an Inuzuka, had underestimated him because she was bigger and older. Sasuke used that to his advantage, deliberately taking a glancing blow at the beginning to lure her in before quickly showing just how skilled he was and releasing a barrage of blows that forced the girl out of the training ring. His second fight was against a clanless, maybe even civilian born, student and Sasuke didn't even need his clan's prized Dojutsu to predict the attacks or track the panicked swings. Ducking under a frantic haymaker Sasuke delivered a quick jab to the flank, possibly catching a kidney or maybe the liver, which was followed up with a quick stomp to the back of the knee. When his opponent turned around Sasuke delivered a quick but powerful blow to the jaw that left the other boy seeing stars.

When the final bout of matches came up Sasuke had the misfortune of being called against Neji Hyuuga, a prodigy from one of Konoha's other great houses and the boy billed to graduate as 'Rookie of the Year'. The match lasted all of thirty seconds and consisted of Neji using simple jabs or palm strikes, fighting Sasuke didn't even warrant slipping into the Gentle Fist, to completely destroy the scion of the Uchiha. The last thing Sasuke remembered from the fight itself was Neji's palm colliding with the side of his head then he was lying under a tree, the blonde haired instructor leaning over him looking concerned.

"Damn kid, you got knocked out." Kisuke chuckled as he gently helped Sasuke sit up. "Good run by the way, I'll take you to the nurse to get you checked out."

"Is the graduation exam over?" Sasuke asked groggily as he stood up.

"For you, yeah." Kisuke chuckled.

"No… I-I can finish it, it's just the ninjutsu section let right?" Sasuke muttered as he blinked the lights from his vision and set off after the others.

"Hold on kid! You've been out cold for nearly five minutes!" Kisuke yelled before grabbing hold of Sasuke at beginning to drag him towards the Nurse's Office. "You're getting checked out."

"No!" Sasuke snapped as he whirled around and glared at the chunin. "I want to finish it, it's just the ninjutsu test. I'll go to the nurse once it's done!"

"Fine… fine." Kisuke sighed, he wasn't in the mood to argue with the kid. "I'll let you and Uzumaki go first, but you are going straight to the nurse the second you finish the demonstration… Got it?"

"Yeah… Fine." Sasuke said tiredly.

XX Green Fields Apartments No. 52; Konoha, Fire Country – That Evening XX

Sasuke sat on the edge of the small bed staring at the metallic plate that lay across his lap. It quite frankly amazed him he'd been given one, especially after the sound thrashing Neji Hyuuga had given him.

He'd only applied to test himself, he honestly never actually thought he'd be able to pass a full year early but he had. While he wasn't called Rookie of the Year, the Hyuuga had unsurprisingly been given that title, he had been told he'd scored in the top five. Setting the engraved plate, which symbolised that he was a shinobi of Konoha, aside on his bedside locker Sasuke set his alarm for the morning. He'd limited himself to some light training over the weekend, didn't want to appear too haggard and worn-out for when he met his new teacher on Monday.

_**XXXXX**_

_**Right, gonna cut this a little bit short since I got a different idea in my head right now and I really wanna get started on it… And guess what it doesn't involve Sasuke, at all! Part features Fugaku yeah but the Uchiha are not gonna be the focus which is admittedly a rare thing these days for me and anything Naruto related.**_

_**Also expect a few more dark scenes, like the three ROOT ninja bit from the last Random Scenes, in the future… Haven't watched it but the basic idea of the Road to Ninja move [of with familiar but vastly different people] as well as fond memories of Tenchu Z are blurring into imperfect worlds with faceless shinobi being sent out to fight and die for what they, or in many cases their master, believe in.**_

_**I'm dyslexic, so please point out any mistakes in spelling or grammar [I spell things the way they do in England and Ireland, so some things may look off to Americans]. Please leave your opinion via review or send them via PM, I'd like to know what you think. Well, I think that's everything I've gotta say so, hope you enjoyed the chapter.**_

_**This is Highvalour saying bye and thanks for reading.**_


	68. Ideas For Naruto Getting A Living Parent

_**Kind of a mini-update. Couple of tiny little scenes that I was planning to elaborate on to get a series of AUs where Naruto had at least one parent [granted one of them wouldn't show up for a few years, and was from another AU, but still he'd have had someone] but I made the mistake [a mistake I support and recommend you all make as well] of reading No Need for Halkeginian Logic by Midnakdak and Naruto's Oblivion by Diresquirrel. Now I can't think of any fic ideas that aren't influenced by these two and I don't wanna write cheap crappy ripoffs of really funny fics.**_

_**As such I'm just gonna throw this thing out, not even expecting it to hit 1,000 words, and call it quits for a week or so. Let me come up with other crappy ideas that I can't name the original inspiration for off the top of my head. Sorry it is so short.**_

_**Read, Review, let me know what works and doesn't.**_

_**Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto**_

XX Atop the Hokage Monument; Konoha Fire Country Of Universe A XX

As Minato Namikaze, Konoha's Fourth Hokage, finished using his Time-Space Barrier to warp away the rampaging Kyuubi's Tailed-Beast Ball attack Obito Uchiha emerged from the earth behind him. Obito's former sensei, and now obstacle to his goal of destroying Konoha, sensed the young masked man's presence and attacked, twisting and attempting to drive one of his unique kunai through the side of Obito's head.

Using the power of Kamui and letting the kunai phase right through him Obito caught a grip of the Hokage's arm and began utilising Kamui's other ability, warping anything he had a firm grip of into another dimension.

"You still have to fight me." Obito mocked as his Dojutsu took effect. "And… It's over."

Feeling his former sensei try and teleport out, and fail, brought a smile to the masked Uchiha. The man had been too slow to save him, been too slow to help save Rin and now he was too slow to escape and save Konoha… It was beautiful. As the Kamui and Hiraishin battled one another, both Space-Time Ninjutsu straining to exert influence on the same matter, the truly unexpected happened and the space-time continuum broke. Just for a millionth of a second but long enough for Minato Namikaze – Leader, husband and father – to become the first person to ever traverse the multiverse.

Blinking in surprise when he could no longer sense his target, anywhere for that matter, Obito took a few seconds to run down a mental checklist of possible locations or individuals Minato may have warped too, and combining Kamui and his skills as a sensor to check out said locations/individuals, the very messed up teenager discovered he could not locate Minato anywhere.

"Huh… That was unexpected." Obito muttered before shrugging and teleporting off towards where the Third Hokage and a gathering of Konoha shinobi had gathered to attempt and hold off the rampaging Bijuu, we'd kill a few before the beast had all the fun.

XX Uchiha Senbei; Konoha, Fire Country Of Universe B XX

Teyaki Uchiha was just about ready to open the store he owned and operated alongside his wife Uruchi when the wall behind him was torn apart to reveal a portal to hell. A swirling vortex of chaotic energy, billions upon billions of images that Teyaki's sharinganless eyes could not even hope to track, served to all but mesmerise the civilian Uchiha before something was vomited out with enough force to crack several of Teyaki's ribs on impact.

Groaning in pain Teyaki tried to push himself up onto his elbows to look at what hit him. Lying sprawled across the floor, battered and bruised but somehow alive, was Minato Namikaze.

_**XXXXX**_

XX Forestland Surrounding Konoha, Fire Country XX

"I… can still… fight." Kushina panted weakly as she shaped the last dregs of her chakra into ethereal chains to bind the raging demon that until not one hour ago had been a prisoner within her body. Sadly the roar of the beast and constant moving of Minato to avoid them all being crushed had woken poor little Naruto. "Sorry Naruto… I guess… guess we woke you up."

"K-Kushina." Minato sobbed as he look at his wife, normally so strong and full of life but now so close to death Minato was sure he could see the Shinigami sitting in the corner tapping its watch.

"I'm going to draw the Kyuubi in, before I die, and drag it to the Pure World with me… At least that way, I'll be able to delay its return." Kushina panted as he prepared to attempt and reseal the Kyuubi. "Thank you, Minato… Thank you for everything."

"Kushina you… You made me-" Minato sobbed before he registered a key term in Kushina's words. A sad, bitter smile played at the corners of his mouth as he allocated just enough chakra to a Shadow Clone and dispatched it. "Kushina stop, I have a plan. You're gonna live."

"Minato what are you…?" Kushina panted as she watched her husband begin running through a series of hand seal, very familiar hand seals like the kind for that horrific summoning jutsu her ancestors had created. "No, what are you doing? I-I'm dying, let me seal it! Don't leave Naruto alone in this world!"

"I'm not." Minato said softly before screaming as he felt the Shinigami's icy touch on his soul. Then, before Kushina could argue any further, his clone returned with its target. A very startled and confused Nono Yakushi. Turning to the retired jonin Minato began barking orders. "Listen very closely, heal Kushina. Fix every physical injury, every bit of internal damage, now! You don't stop until either she's fully healed or you pass out, understood! This is my last order as this Village's Kage!"

"Y-Yes sir." Nono stammered before beginning to try and heal any damage she could find.

"No, no no no no no!" Kushina screamed.

"With the Kyuubi resealed, and your injuries treated, you're going to live Kushina… You're going to get to see our son grow up and become a man. You'll get to raise him and teach him and guide him as he becomes a great man." Minato told his wife, tears streaming down his face, as the Shinigami caught a hold of the Kyuubi and began dragging it into Kushina. "All I ask is that you tell him I love him every day."

_**XXXXX**_

_**There we go. Two possible ways Naruto might not have to go nearly his entire childhood without anyone there. The idea for two different Space-Time Jutsu clashing and fucking up the fabric of reality came from an idea I have for dropping AU characters into canon [like say a Neji whose father had been born first getting spat out in the middle of the Pre-Lims] or a good!Orochimaru being dumped in Ame and fighting alongside Jiraiya to escape the Six Paths of Pain.**_

_**There was meant to be a third scene, basically the second one but with Kushina being able to convince Minato to let her seal the Kyuubi away so he could live and raise Naruto but I cut it since it would more or less be the same just without Nono appearing and the dialogue swapped. **_

_**Oh and expect a lot of crossover or time-displacement shorts in the future since I intend to have a lot of fun with the fact that Minato and Obito broke the space-time continuum, even if it was just for a millionth of a second, to write crap [for example Madara Uchiha is ripped from his own timeline seconds before he overhears Tobirama point out that no one will accept him as Hokage and is dumped smack dab in the middle of the Suna/Oto invasion of canon!Konoha]. **_

_**I'm dyslexic, so please point out any mistakes in spelling or grammar [I spell things the way they do in England and Ireland, so some things may look off to Americans]. Please leave your opinion via review or send them via PM, I'd like to know what you think. Well, I think that's everything I've gotta say so, hope you enjoyed the chapter.**_

_**This is Highvalour saying bye and thanks for reading**_


	69. shikaku 2

_**Figured I'd go back and finish this off, it was half done when I wrote the 'Naruto keeps a parent' bit and decided to take a break. Gonna put this chapter out and then I'll officially put Naruto based stuff on hiatus for a while. **_

_**Read, Review, let me know what works and doesn't.**_

_**Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto**_

XX Green Fields Apartment 52; Konoha, Fire Country XX

Graduating early was an impressive feat. Normally on such an occasion there would be a party to celebrate, well a bigger one than just the normal 'Well Done on Passing' party anyway. Of course, that only applied to normal situations and Sasuke Uchiha's situation was not the norm.

The newly minted genin stared out his sitting-room window, across the dark Village towards the Naka Shrine, lost in thoughts. He'd done it, he'd passed. Sure it was a full two years after Itachi, who had been a chunin at this point, but it was a step forward. A step forward on the path to his victory, to his revenge. As a genin he would do missions, doing missions would get him closer to chunin where he could start taking on challenging missions and growing; Both in skill and reputation. Doing so would make him enemies and earn bounties, both of which would see more and more powerful shinobi targeting him. And through victory he would grow in experience and renowned, failure simply meant death.

"Can you see it, Mikoto? Fugaku?" He asked aloud, his crimson and black eyes drifting from the hilltop shrine down to the flickering lights of what was once the 'Uchiha District'. He remembered being told, so long ago now, that your ancestors watched you from the Pure World. He remembered being warned that he was to always represent the Clan, his ancestors and himself as best he could to avoid shaming them. He remembered thinking it was just a story to make little boys behave. "I hope you can… Hope you can see the boy you discarded for the 'prodigy' growing strong… I pray you see me erase your clan, one bit at a time, from the Village's memory!"

Sasuke owed much to the recent economic boom Konoha was experiencing. Increased trade and missions meant immigration into the Village from the surrounding area, and these new settlers needed housing. It had taken time and effort, and a lot of money spent re-plastering walls and replacing floorboards, to get people to move into the homes the once great Uchiha Clan had dwelt in. It was worth the price. As each house gained an occupant, the memories of what happened there slowly faded. As each relic and antiquity was sold off or donated to museums as 'Relics from the Village' the Clan's history seeped away. With every historical scroll memorised and burned he came one step closer to wiping the Uchiha from the world. When Sasuke was done, Uchiha would just mean him… And when he died his inheritors would not be claiming lineage to the Founders of Konoha, there would be not talk of mystical 'Sages' and warring sons, all that would exist in the annuals of history would be him. Sasuke Uchiha.

The Clan that had all but disowned him before he'd been given a chance to prove himself with become a footnote in the annuals of history while he, he would be immortalised in the tales people would tell. He would join Hashirama of the Forest, The White Fang and many others as the stuff of legends… But first, attain the rank of chunin so he could begin to make a name for himself.

Turning away from the window as crimson turned to onyx, and jet black spikes receded into the inky blackness of his pupil, Sasuke popped two painkillers and downed them with water. He'd injured his shoulder earlier in the week and the taijutsu portion of the exam had irritated the injury. Crossing the Spartan room Sasuke entered the almost bare bedroom and settled down for the night. Registration was tomorrow and he'd have to push his morning training exercises forward to make up for the time wasted filling in forms and getting his photograph taken.

XX Shinobi Academy; Konoha, Fire Country – Two Days Later XX

Fu entered the building alongside several of the other shinobi chosen to serve as potential jonin instructors. Danzo felt the Yamanaka, who was well versed in psychology and the workings of the mind, was best suited to overseeing the Uchiha's conditioning into a useful tool of Konoha. As Fu paused to review the Academy files on his future students the Yamanaka compared the teachers' comments to the Intel provided by follow ROOT. Academy rated the boy top of his class in ninjutsu, taijutsu, genjutsu and weapons. His cooperation grades where abysmal and assertiveness was poor, although this was less because he didn't take charge and more because he simply ignored his teammates and completed the objectives alone.

ROOT assessment placed his combat skills at mid-chunin capability, well below Itachi at the same age, but reports did indicate potential to surpass his brother if given time and adequate training. That explained Danzo's decision to fast-track the young Uchiha for ANBU and ROOT. The boy's teammates, a Toka Hyuuga and Kinmaru Hagane, where of lesser impotence but the Hyuuga could also prove valuable if Fu could get her skills up enough for ANBU consideration.

Toka had scored second in overall taijutsu, making her top out of the actual class, and in the top third for both cooperation and assertiveness while leading mock missions. However, like many Hyuuga, her skills in both genjutsu and ninjutsu where lacking. Sure the girl could easily pierce low level genjutsu thanks to the byakugan but she had next to no skill in casting.

Kinmaru, on the other hand, had a passing talent for illusions but still ranked bottom of the class due to poor grades in other fields. The boy wouldn't be worth drafting for ROOT but Fu would at least ensure his core skills were good enough to prove of value to Konoha in the future. Finishing with the files he'd been given Fu pushed open the door to the classroom and entered, getting his first look at the genin.

Kinmaru Hagane was the first to catch Fu's eye. The boy, dressed in three-quarter length shorts and a baggy T-shirt, was sitting atop of one of the desks and reading a comic. The weapons pouch fastened to his right leg and forehead protector hanging loosely around his neck, like an oversized necklace, were the only things that identified him as a potential shinobi as opposed to some random civilian child.

Toka Hyuuga was sitting at her place on the classroom's first level of desks wearing what many would call the classic Hyuuga robes: a white shirt with loose sleeves, matching pants and a dark grey apron tied around her waist. She wore her forehead protector in its correct position, most likely to obscure the Hyuuga Clan's Curse Seal, but did not seem to wear a weapons pouch.

The Uchiha was the final one Fu's eyes fell on. The boy looked the most profession, wearing his protector tightly across his forehead and dressed in the standard navy blue fatigues more experienced Konoha Shinobi adopted over the more civilian based clothing many new graduates favoured. The only thing that set him apart from any generic chunin was the toughened leather vest, inlayed with ceramic plating if the faint ridges where any indication, worn in place of a standard flak jacket. Peaking over the newly minted genin's right shoulder was the handle for a sword of some kind, a ninto perhaps.

"Team Four, follow me." Fu ordered before Body Flickering away. This was to be his first test, both of the team's abilities and of the Uchiha himself. Using the Body Flicker to travel the length of the corridor instantly Fu exited through an open window and Body Flickered to the roof, all the while using his skills as a sensor to track the chakra signatures of his students.

A sudden spike from Sasuke that accompanied the boy's chakra signature 'jumping' roughly a fifth of a second after Fu Body Flickered meant the Uchiha was following with his own. A sustained increase from Toka meant the young Hyuuga had activated her byakugan to track both but the steady movement of her signature told Fu she was running to catch up. Kinmaru was both the slowest to react and the only one not to work out a way to follow, Toka having to pause at the classroom door most likely to tell him to follow.

'_That will need correction.' _Fu thought as two of his students took the stairs to join himself and Sasuke on the roof. _'Out window, Body Flicker or Tree Climbing technique up the side of the building, should have made it here in seconds.'_

When Toka and Kinmaru finally arrived Fu turned to address his future charges, there was no doubt the team would pass as Danzo wanted Fu shepherding the Uchiha into ROOT.

"State you name, your strengths and your weaknesses."

"Eh… Why don't you go first, sensei, show us how it's done?" Kinmaru suggested, most likely to buy some time to think up what counted as strengths and weaknesses, only to gulp when Fu turned a disapproving glare on him.

"You were given an order from a superior officer, you do not question any order from a superior." The words were ground out, stressed to emphasise just how important following orders was. "Now, Hagane, you will go first."

"Wha- Eh… Huh, okay." Kinmaru grumbled before sighing and getting on with it. "My name is Kinmaru Hagane. I'm twelve, turning thirteen in two months, and both my father and cousin are chunin. I'm good at facts, figures and can do some pretty cool tricks with some genjutsu. I'm not so good on ninjutsu or on taijutsu… I like grapes."

"You were ordered to state you name, you strengths and you weaknesses. Not give a family history or any personal information." Fu chastised, with the closest thing a ROOT member could get to a scowl on his face. "And even then the information you provided is faulty; Your Academy tests indicate no notable skill in data management or statistical analysis, leaving the only potentially beneficial quality you take to this team are your 'pretty cool tricks with some genjutsu'… That will not do. When I ask for information from you, you are to provide all relevant Intel as accurately as you can as quickly and clearly as you can. Is that understood, genin?"

"I…I… Yes sir." Kinmaru sighed dejectedly.

"Next." Fu ordered.

"Eh… My name is Toka Hyuuga. I am proficient in my clan's distinct taijutsu style as well as use of our kekkai genkai, the byakugan." Toka began in a polite and respectful tone, she didn't want to provoke a verbal lashing like Kinmaru had. "Thanks to the byakugan's visual ability I am also proficient in shurikenjutsu and the detection of genjutsu… My primary areas of weakness are in offence ninjutsu and stamina."

Genjutsu is another major weakness of yours." Fu corrected before elaborating. "Your eyes may allow you to detect basic genjutsu, but should your opponent adapt their attack to account for your eyes visual ability you are rendered defenceless. You also have poor scores in the casting of basic genjutsu which limits your flexibility in the field… I will be focusing your training on incorporating low level ninjutsu and genjutsu into your skillset, they will hopefully blend well with your taijutsu style. Increasing stamina, chakra reserves and chakra control will be standard for all three."

"Sasuke Uchiha." Sasuke grunted before having to be told to begin. "Training in bukijutsu, sword and staff being primary focus. I rated top in taijutsu, ninjutsu, shurikenjutsu and genjutsu. I have been training in the use of the Great Fireball jutsu, as well as its derivatives… My chakra reserves, stamina and physical capabilities are limited due to age and I have little training in the use of sensory distortion genjutsu, having focused on the sharingan's hypnotic genjutsu capability."

"I see. Sensory distortion genjutsu are useful in missions, we will be improving your ability with them." Fu said, already running through the different training routines he could have the Uchiha on to get him up to ANBU recruitment standards as quickly as possible. "Stamina, chakra reserves and chakra control will be standard training so those deficiencies will disappear over time. Physical limitations will also fade as you grow and strengthen your body."

After giving his name Fu sent the genin off, having instructed them to meet him at the Sixth training Field the next morning for evaluation and combat training. Once they'd departed Fu returned to ROOT Headquarters to report in and update Danzo on Sasuke's capabilities.

_**XXXXX**_

_**Sasuke's basic design is based on Slade Wilson as he appears in Arrow during the island flashbacks, just with a kunai pouch, black ninja sandals and a Konoha Forehead Protector.**_

_**I'm dyslexic, so please point out any mistakes in spelling or grammar [I spell things the way they do in England and Ireland, so some things may look off to Americans]. Please leave your opinion via review or send them via PM, I'd like to know what you think. Well, I think that's everything I've gotta say so, hope you enjoyed the chapter.**_

_**This is Highvalour saying bye and thanks for reading**_


	70. Side Effects Of Breaking Reality - 1

_**It's funny. Read some fan fics, find yourself unable to think of anything that isn't a complete and blatant rip off, decide to put Naruto fics on hold… Read a few more, come up with something you think might at least be the tiniest little bit original and then less than an hour after you have the idea [but before you can even get a chance to even write up the AN] you stumble across a fic whose description is reveals it has the same little twist. FUCK!**_

_**Read, Review, let me know what works and doesn't.**_

_**Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto**_

XX Atop the Hokage Monument; Konoha Fire Country Of Universe A XX

As Minato Namikaze, Konoha's Fourth Hokage, finished using his Time-Space Barrier to warp away the rampaging Kyuubi's Tailed-Beast Ball attack Obito Uchiha emerged from the earth behind him. Obito's former sensei, and now obstacle to his goal of destroying Konoha, sensed the young masked man's presence and attacked, twisting and attempting to drive one of his unique kunai through the side of Obito's head.

Using the power of Kamui and letting the kunai phase right through him Obito caught a grip of the Hokage's arm and began utilising Kamui's other ability, warping anything he had a firm grip of into another dimension.

"You still have to fight me." Obito mocked as his dojutsu took effect. "And… It's over."

Feeling his former sensei try and teleport out, and fail, brought a smile to the masked Uchiha. The man had been too slow to save him, been too slow to help save Rin and now he was too slow to escape and save Konoha… It was beautiful. As the Kamui and Hiraishin battled one another, both Space-Time Ninjutsu straining to exert influence on the same matter, the truly unexpected happened and the space-time continuum broke. Just for a millionth of a second but long enough for Minato Namikaze – Leader, husband and father – to become the first person to ever traverse the multiverse.

Blinking in surprise when he could no longer sense his target, anywhere for that matter, Obito took a few seconds to run down a mental checklist of possible locations or individuals Minato may have warped too, and combining Kamui and his skills as a sensor to check out said locations/individuals, the very messed up teenager discovered he could not locate Minato anywhere.

"Huh… That was unexpected." Obito muttered before shrugging and teleporting off towards where the Third Hokage and a gathering of Konoha shinobi had gathered to attempt and hold off the rampaging Bijuu. He'd kill a few before the beast had all the fun.

XX Atop the Head Of The Gedo Mazo; Lightning Country of Universe B – About Sixteen Years Later XX

Madara stood triumphant over Tobirama Senju, the reanimated shinobi's body a pin-cushion of chakra receivers. Beaten, broken and bowing at Madara's feet, where all Senju should be in the deranged Uchiha's mind. As he finished explaining, quiet clearly to his own twisted mind, how the current world was broken Tobirama spoke.

"… You do have a point…" Tobirama admitted mockingly condescendingly, clearly mocking the one-eyed bastard before him, before moulding the last traces of his chakra into a small, bullet-like glob of spit he aimed for Madara's rinnegan.

Deep blue chakra formed in the shape of partial ribcage to block the revived Kage's attack, which was simply a diversion to keep Madara from noticing as Sasuke Uchiha dropped from his hawk summons planning to drive his chokuto through his ancestor's head. Unfortunately for both of them, even without the life-force detecting ability senjutsu granted, Madara was still a sensor type. Using his sole rinnegan to summon a clone in the shadowy world of Limbo Madara restrained Sasuke mere feet from achieving his goal.

"This world… The world created by Hashirama… Is full of too much inconsistency and incongruity." Madara said slowly as he picked up the chokuto, one of the fabled Swords of Kusanagi, that Sasuke had unfortunately dropped due to his sudden stop. "You have to sacrifice one to protect another…"

Don't do it Madara!" Tobirama roared as Madara pointed the blade at Sasuke's heart.

"… Be it a close friend, a brother… Or even my child…" Madara continued his little nihilistic speech before thrusting forward, and stabbing empty space.

Had it not been for his skills as a sensor, and the fact that his rinnegan let him detect chakra, Madara would have been very confused since the Rinnegan could not record and memorise high speed events like its weaker sharingan forms. According to his eye and senses an impossibly short chakra spike on enveloped the young Uchiha and appeared to have carted him off somewhere. It had not been Obito's Kamui, nor had it been that trash of a jutsu Tobirama created… If anything it reminded Madara of the Space-Time distortion you got when someone tried to use a poorly created storage seal, just even less stable.

Madara blinked in surprise, glanced around in confusion and then shrugged indifferently. The annoying, and traitorous, brat was gone and he was free to begin absorbing the slowly reforming Juubi.

XX Sasuke's Chambers In Orochimaru's Base; Grass Country of Universe C – Around Eight Months Before XX

Sasuke Uchiha was in a foul mood, first Orochimaru had kept him waiting then the Sannin had wasted his time introducing some trash from Konoha. That trash had blathered on and on about the Dead Last, cutting further into his training time, and when he'd finally managed to get rid of him Orochimaru cut the training short… Seems the old snake had 'overexerted' himself earlier and had to take a break.

Seems the bastard's body was breaking down faster than Sasuke had first suspected, maybe even faster than Kabuto knew, if the hacking cough and hisses of pain where anything to base a judgement on. That meant he'd have to cut short the time he had left to extract every ounce of knowledge he could from Orochimaru before killing the fool.

Setting his blade aside Sasuke lay down on the hard slab he called a bed and decided to rest for a time, he'd mastered everything he had to practise at the moment so there was nothing else to do. Closing his eyes Sasuke was just beginning to drift off into a light doze when the sound of something, or someone as the case was, impacting with the cold hard slabs of his floor rang through his chamber.

Sasuke was up and armed instantly, he did not like to be awoken without cause. Looking at the source of the noise, a dark haired man of similar build to himself lying dazed on the ground, Sasuke saw red. Whoever this was, most likely one of Orochimaru's pets meant to spy on him for an opportune time for the Sannin to try and steal his body, they had the audacity to emblazon their top with the Uchiha Fan… They were wearing his Clan's crest.

"What the hell?!" Sasuke snarled as he drew his chokuto and pressed it against the man's neck. Normally Sasuke swore he'd only kill one man but right now, Sasuke was willing to make an exception to his 'No-Killing' rule.

Apparently the burst of killing intent was enough to snap the dazed man to alertness and the figure's head snapped around to glare at him, red and black eyes locking with red and black eyes.

"GGGAAAGHH!" Sasuke Uchiha screamed as his body was engulfed in the black flames of Amaterasu.

_**X**_

Sasuke Uchiha had no idea what the hell just happened. One minute he was hanging in mid-air, his deranged ancestor posed to stab him in the chest, and the next he was colliding head first with a cold stone floor. His head felt like Itachi had just hit him with Tsukuyomi, repeatedly, while his stomach was threatening to what felt like everything he'd eaten in the last week. It was this unease and dizziness that prevented Sasuke from detecting the movement behind him or the touch of cold steel against his neck. The killing intent he felt, that kicked his instincts into gear and him snapping around with chakra flooding into his right eye as he prepped Kagutsuchi.

He ignored the sharp nip as the blade, his blade he realised, sliced a shallow cut across the back of his neck and unleashed his hellfire on what he thought would be Madara. Instead Sasuke eyes recorded the rather confusing sight of himself, dressed like he'd once done while still in Oto, thrashing about on fire before his doppelganger inhaled a mouthful of flames and collapsed.

Blinking in confusion as the other him stopped twitching and slowly burned away Sasuke looked around frantically for some explanation. Was it genjutsu? He tried interrupting his charka then tried using his sharingan to pierce it when that didn't work.

"What the hell?" Sasuke muttered as nothing happened. He couldn't be in a genjutsu, could he? Madara had him dead to rights and the one-eyed bastard didn't strike Sasuke as the kind of guy who'd waste time and effort on a genjutsu when a simple stabbing would suffice. Unless… "Shit, did we fail? Did Madara manage to pull of that Infinite Tsukuyomi… No, no he couldn't have! If he had I'd be trapped in a paradise illusion, my family alive and me well on my way to becoming Konoha's first Uchiha Hokage… So… So what the hell?"

Looking around the room Sasuke took in the bare walls, lack of any furniture and rough slab that passed for a bed. It looked a lot like the rooms Orochimaru gave him but he hadn't been near one of them in a while. Then again nor had he worn the white, mostly open shirt in a while… Or even found himself staring at himself before accidently igniting and apparently killing himself. Taking a step forward Sasuke felt something shift under his foot.

Glancing down Sasuke saw the Sword of Kusanagi lying discarded, most likely dropped when the other him was panicking. While the blade lacked the unique abilities as the sword Orochimaru himself carried it was basically unbreakable and perfectly designed to accept and channel any form of chakra flow, two qualities that made it appealing to Sasuke. Reaching down carefully Sasuke picked up the sword and sheathed the blade in the scabbard tucked into his belt.

Deciding to leave quickly, that blood curdling scream had been pretty loud, Sasuke slipped open the door and stepped out into the hall. He made sure to shut the door behind him. Turning to leave like nothing was wrong Sasuke nearly walked straight into a pale youth wearing a Konoha forehead protector. Sasuke knew the face, anything he ever seen with at least two tomoe in his active sharingan was memorised and effectively burned into his brain, but he didn't know the person. Running a quick mental check he found the boy's face, he was Sasuke's replacement on Team Kakashi.

"…Eh…" The noise escaped Sasuke's mouth before his brain could come up with anything to say. Wrecking his brain, which still hurt from whatever had resulted in him being here, Sasuke reviewed every image he had in his memory about the other youth. Finally settling on something he spoke. "… What was in that dossier you gave Orochimaru?"

"Profiles on all ABNU that report directly to the Hokage." The boy, whose names Sasuke could not remember, said with a smile so fake Sasuke wouldn't have needed his dojutsu to see through it.

"Fakes? Convincing enough to get by and get you here?" Sasuke asked as he stepped around the strange boy and set off down the corridor, he needed time to think and work out whatever the hell was going on. "I mean I can't imagine Tsunade ratting out a bunch of loyal shinobi like that… Not that I dealt with her enough to get a good read on her personality."

"No, it's all correct. Danzo feared Orochimaru would spot any falsified data." The boy said with that same fake smile and emotionless tone, completely unaware of just how much he'd fucked up by saying that name.

"Danzo… You, you work for him?" Sasuke inquired slowly as his tomoe spun violently before bleeding out into the outer edges of his iris leaving six blood red spikes centred around his pupils, the straightened prongs of Itachi's mangekyo emerging from the pupil in an inverted triangular pattern.

"Yes. I serve Danzo faithfully as part of ROOT." The boy replied before sniffing the air. "Do you smell that?"

"That…? Just some trash burning." Sasuke lied as the smell of his cremating other-self began to waft out from the room. Placing his palm on his chokuto's handle Sasuke decided to start protecting Konoha, since in Sasuke's eyes Danzo and his lot where a threat.

Danzo trained his lackeys well, Sasuke would give him that, Sasuke thought as the other youth drew his own blade and blocked Sasuke's attempted beheading. Blood and onyx locked onto charcoal before both broke off. A surge of electrified charka around his body destroyed those strange ink constructs his opponent had been preparing to attack Sasuke with.

"Naruto wants to bring you back to Konoha, Sakura too." The ANBU muttered. "They both cherish their bond with you, those bonds motivate them to keep going in the hopes of bringing you back… I… I will help them protect that bond, so I can observe it and maybe relearn what it's like."

"Oh, they don't have to worry… I'll be coming back to Konoha eventually." Sasuke growled, eyes narrowed as he plotted his next move. "The Elders have to answer something for me."

He still wasn't sure if this was some kind of trick, of if this was his Infinite Tsukuyomi illusion, but until he had an answer that satisfied him he wasn't going to risk tipping his hand. Nothing Madara hadn't seen yet. Any of those new Kagutsuchi applications he'd been thinking off on hold. He'd avoid directly provoking Obito or the Akatsuki, no point giving away how he would fight against them to the Real Madara.

Charging forward Sasuke brought his chokuto up again in a feint, when Danzo's pet blocked Sasuke summoned the fist and forearm of his Susanoo and proceeded to punch the belly-top wearing boy through the door Sasuke had just left. It was only luck that the ink user managed to avoid landing atop the burning remains of the other Sasuke.

"Gah… You… You're stronger than I had expected Sasuke Uchiha…" The boy panted as he gently inspected the arm Susanoo had struck, Sasuke could tell just from looking he'd broken the arm with that 'gentle tap'. "… D-Did Orochimaru teach you that interesting jutsu?"

"Sorry, student-teacher confidentiality." Sasuke snorted, deflecting the boy's attempt at fishing for information. Did matter, he'd be dead soon and – What was that spark of chakra in the Amaterasu? "… Crap."

Sasuke barely had time to summon the ribcage of Susanoo before the mass of explosive tags his counterpart had carried on his person were compromised by the black flames and ignited. In fairness Sasuke really should have taken care of them earlier, two of them had been what HE'D destroyed the room with. Employing Kagutsuchi to extinguish the scattered black flames, fire damage and about a dozen high powered explosive tags had done enough damage to satisfy that age old Uchiha saying 'If there is doubt, burn the evidence and deny!', Sasuke detected the sound of someone running towards them over faint ringing in his ears.

Leaping out through the massive, jagged hole the explosion had punched in the roof Sasuke dropped Susanoo and turned just as Sakura came rushing onto the scene. It was funny, he was standing in nearly the exact same spot and that other guy was lying badly injured in a similar position as before as well.

"You! What the hell are you really after?!" Sakura roared before she fully registered just how injured her new 'teammate' really was. "S-Sai…? What happened? Sai can you hear me?!"

"Déjà vu." Sasuke chuckled as he compared this scene to his own memories. He'd let the mangekyo fade back to his normal sharingan and sheathed his chokuto.

"S… Sasuke." Sakura gasped as he glanced up into the sun against which he was silhouetted against. It was kind of jarring, not an hour ago the girl before him was dressed as a soldier of the Shinobi Alliance. Looking the model of professionalism, her forehead marked with that seal of Tsunade… But now, here in bright red shirt and that silly looking apron/skirt, it was hard for him to imagine her as anything other than that silly little fangirl. A deluded child willing to throw away her home and her family for a crush.

"Books and covers I guess." Sasuke mused before turning his head and glancing towards the shattered doorframe. "C'mon out… Naruto!"

The blonde emerged from the darkened tunnel, blinking in the light as deep blue eyes fell on Sasuke for the first time in over two years… Even if Sasuke had seen them not twenty minutes before. As blood and onyx locked onto cerulean Sasuke's sharingan took in every detail, as was the power of the first tomoe, and committed every sight to memory, through the power of the second… The only problem was what his eyes recorded didn't match what he'd already seen.

Naruto had been taller, sure the difference was only a few centimetres but Sasuke's eyes picked up on it, and stockier too. The blonde's hair was also much longer, reminding Sasuke more of the revived Fourth. The Uzumaki's shoulders were slimmer, the hips wider and the chest was… the chest…

"…"

"Sasuke… It is you." The voice was softer, higher, definitely feminine. The tone was right - angry, hopeful and more than a little bratty - exactly like he remembered Naruto using just… Female. The voice, and the form, definitely female. Transformation? Genjutsu?

"Okay… Seriously… What the hell?" Sasuke asked blankly.

_**XXXXX**_

_**So after I finished the most recent **__**No Need for Halkeginian Logic**__** and **__**Naruto's Oblivion**__** I really started reading fics again in earnest, mostly Sasuke focused AUs or Peggy Sues. This in turn brought me back to Chasing Yesterday [Sasuke Peggy Sue with SasukeXFemNaruto as the pairing] I'd read it before, ages ago, and liked it since Taka are very funny in it. This in turn led me to go through The King In White's favourites list and I ended up reading finding more fics with the pairing and blah blah blah… Anyway I had a funny idea. A Peggy Sue fic where Sasuke [who has decided to re-join Konoha and become Hokage] goes back but things aren't right. Basically here's a Sasuke who is ripped from canon and now has to Peggy Sue his way through a FemNaruto universe… Then I found a fic listed in someone's Favourites [can't remember name and didn't read it] that basically implied mostly the same as I'd been thinking off.**_

_**If I ever even think of doing more for this plot-bunny don't expect a very serious story [or a pairing for that matter, I don't do them!].**_

_**That said, I do have another idea that draws on the wonders of Obito and Minato accidently breaking space-time [chapter 68] and sees two characters dragged in from an AU where the main differences are A) Hizashi was born just before Hiashi. B) Kakashi not Obito got hit by those falling rocks and C) it was a random patrol by the **__**Konoha Military Police Force that caught the Kumo Head Ninja being dumped into canon… Maybe swapping out with their counterparts or with both incarnations of the characters together and kind of weirded out by the other.**_

_**I'm dyslexic, so please point out any mistakes in spelling or grammar [I spell things the way they do in England and Ireland, so some things may look off to Americans]. Please leave your opinion via review or send them via PM, I'd like to know what you think. Well, I think that's everything I've gotta say so, hope you enjoyed the chapter.**_

_**This is Highvalour saying bye and thanks for reading**_


	71. Alt Sasuke vs Gaara -build up

_**A follow up to the second scene of chapter 66. This idea weirdly enough was originally born from an idea for a Sasuke/Fem!Gaara fic I came up with while drunk but never intended to do anything with. Figured I'd keep Gaara cut the pairing and just put it out as a funny little idea. **__**Read, Review, let me know what works and doesn't.**_

_**Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto**_

XX Konoha Hospital; Konoha, Fire Country XX

"Oh, that's bad." Kakashi Hatake winced as he realised Ebisu still had his half-caf latte with skimmed milk and two sugars, decaf was just vile. Fixing his mask as he exited the stairwell Kakashi dumped the steaming hot coffee into one of those bins for hospital waste and strolled leisurely down towards Sasuke's room. He's pop his head in, tell the kid to meet him in the lobby and sign the young Uchiha out while he waited.

As he gave Sasuke a quick rundown of what they'd be focusing on; speed, stamina and chakra control Kakashi mentally debated with himself. Having shared his suspicions about Gaara with Naruto he was reconsidering his original plans for the month.

"Hmmm… Sasuke, go straight to your apartment. Don't bother waiting for me to finish the paperwork." Kakashi instructed as he turned to leave the boy's hospital room. "Grab supplies and equipment for about a month out of the Village… I'll meet you there shorty."

Leaving without giving the boy a chance to ask anything Kakashi formed a single Shadow Clone to cover the release forms while he headed to the Hokage's Tower, he needed to check the archives. He'd come up with a pretty clever, if he did say so himself, idea to help ensure Sasuke survived the upcoming match. Now he just needed to double check some of the fine details from the old mission reports and official documents… Things a normal jonin wouldn't normally have the clearance to inspect but Kakashi had been an ANBU Captain, he knew how to sneak past security.

XX Green Fields Apartment 52; Konoha, Fire Country XX

Sasuke gathered up spare clothes, weapons, camping gear and an entire month's supply of field rations. Kakashi seemed to think he had a sure fire way to get Sasuke strong enough to win his first round match against Gaara, whom Kakashi seemed surprisingly worried about for some reason. Sasuke wondered what it was about the creepy kid from Suna. Ten again, Kakashi seemed to be inconsistent on just how powerful he really was!

He passes out after the short but intense first clash with Zabuza, needing close to a week to fully recover, but then came out of the second class a little winded. The rare time he actually sparred with them Sasuke always felt he was doing well, pushing the jonin to the point of at least registering as a potential threat, and then Kakashi shuts his book and destroyed them all at speeds Sasuke's sharingan could follow but he couldn't even hope to react too… Kakashi did a good job of hiding his true strength, or bluffing away his weakness. One of the two.

"Ready Sasuke?" Kakashi's cheerful voice rang out behind Sasuke, snapping the boy out of his thoughts. "We've got a bit of a trek ahead and I'd like to squeeze in a few hours practise before sundown."

"Hn… Just packing the last of my kunai." Sasuke informed the jonin before hoisting the large pack up and onto his back. "Let's go!"

XX Rocky, Mountainous Plateau somewhere in Fire Country –One Week Later XX

Sasuke panted as he ran through the training exercise, weights plus sprinting regularly to build up his stamina. Kakashi had been running him into the ground to increase his speed, to better utilise that bit of taijutsu he'd gotten from that Lee kid, and allow him to better avoid Gaara's sand attacks. The extra stamina would also help with what Kakashi planned to teach Sasuke, some kind of 'secret weapon' that only a sharingan user could manage against someone like Gaara.

The idea of a human being with a demon inside them really freaked him out. The fact that it let Gaara control sand like an extension of the body, plus was driving the kid insane, was worrying. When Sasuke heard how brutal the fight between Gaara and Lee, who Sasuke wasn't afraid to admit was good, went down Sasuke quickly stopped any and all complaining about Kakashi's plan and dove in whole-heartedly. Better that then splatted against a wall by a tidal wave of killer sand.

"Okay Sasuke, that's enough for now." Kakashi called out after about twenty minutes. The silver haired jonin was seated atop a large rock without a little pervy book to be seen, a sign of just how serious he was taking this training. "We're going to work on improving your sharingan now, if we could fully mature it somehow it would make the upcoming fight a lot easier."

"How did you get your one to mature?" Sasuke asked, curious about the implanted dojutsu. He knew the basics of how Kakashi had gotten the eye, the jonin having shared the details after some constant prodding, but it had only been a two tomoe eye at the time.

"Don't honestly know to be honest." Kakashi admitted with a shrug before seeing to loose himself to memory. "Very stressful mission, things went bad… I was still dealing with Obito's death, made a stupid mistake and… And I got a close friend killed. Passed out, woke up with three tomoe… Asked your cousin Shisui once, he told me it was impossible for a non-Uchiha to evolve a sharingan. Something about it needing chakra only Uchiha can develop or something."

"So… you have no idea how to make my eyes stronger?" Sasuke sighed as he took a seat across from Kakashi and pulled out a kunai.

That was it, the training. Sasuke would hold a kunai in his right hand and Kakashi would use his implanted sharingan to hypnotise Sasuke into handing it over or use sensory genjutsu to make him thing it was missing. Sasuke's training came from using just his eyes to try and resist. While it should have been easy for Sasuke, two sharingan beat one and a true Uchiha would always do better than a non-Uchiha, Kakashi was older, more experienced and had a fully mature eye to work with. Thankfully he lacked the stamina to capitalise on that.

"I was planning to keep increasing the pressure I put on you until your eyes evolved just to keep up, that or straight up try and kill you... You know, now or never kind of thing." Kakashi admitted honestly as he raised the cloth that covered his dojutsu. "Now… Let's begin."

"So… What was the point of that paper trick from the other day?" Sasuke asked as he locked his two tomoe on Kakashi's three.

"Oh that, couple of reasons." Kakashi laughed, never breaking eye contact. "One, seeing your face when it burst into flames was funny. Two, it gave me an idea of which potential jutsu I could teach you and three… Meh."

"Meh?" Sasuke repeated. "Meh, isn't a reason!"

"No… But it did distract you long enough for me to get this." Kakashi chuckled as he held up the kunai.

"No, it wasn't." Sasuke countered and broke the simple genjutsu. The kunai in Kakashi's hand fading away and reappearing in Sasuke's. That lasted all of about three seconds before the entire world blurred and Kakashi dropped the second genjutsu, which was hidden beneath the first and mixed in with hypnosis.

"Yes it was." Kakashi said as he reached over and patted the top of Sasuke's head. "You did better this time, we'll keep going later and see if you can improve more… But for now, I'm going to be teaching a very basic but highly valuable genjutsu unique to the sharingan."

"Alright… Let's get it over with." Sasuke muttered darkly, angry with himself. If he couldn't even see through the weak genjutsu Kakashi had, how would he ever hope to see through Itachi's?

XX Same Rocky, Mountainous Plateau somewhere in Fire Country –Three Week Later XX

Gaara's little surprise visit the week before had Kakashi spooked. How had the deranged little jinchuuriki found them all the way out here? Kakashi felt it was time to increase Sasuke's training, and maybe start working on plan B.

The boy already had the basics of converting his chakra for Raiton, collecting and vibrating their chakra at a high enough frequency to generate the piercing capability, but his skill wasn't enough to avoid the usual wastage that accompanied the elemental nature. Judging by current skill level and chakra reserves Sasuke could manage one usage of the Chidori, two under optimal conditions, but that would have to be the fall back. Trying to use the jutsu in the Finals, against someone as dangerous as Gaara, would be a last chance panic solution.

No, Sasuke was advancing well and his eyes growing stronger. Still no third tomoe but with luck things would still go well. That, of course, is providing the stories about the sharingan had some measure of truth to them.

"We better get going." Kakashi said as he inspected the sky. "Wait any longer and we might miss the start of the tournament."  
>"I need to stop at my apartment, get something to eat and resupply." Sasuke muttered as he tossed aside the remains of his last ration pack. Most of the kunai and shuriken he'd taken with him had been dented or broken from training.<p>

"Then we'd better hurry, I decided to squeeze in that last little training session under the impression we'd head straight for the arena… Any detours and we might miss the beginning." Kakashi chuckled as he set off, deciding to test just how fast Sasuke had gotten in the previous month.

The trip back to Konoha took a little under three hours, more than two hours faster than going out. Stopping by a shop on the way to Sasuke's apartment to grab a small snack Kakashi heard a cheer ring out somewhere in the distance.

"Huh, guess the first match started." Kakashi noted as he and Sasuke paid for their food.

"First match?" The shopkeeper asked in confusion. "Nah, that's the end of the Nara' boy's match… Second one technically since that kid from Suna quit and the Uchiha was a no show."

"What?! Shikarmaru's fought" Sasuke snapped before rounding on Kakashi. "You said you'd timed this so we'd arrive just in time."

"Eh… I don't… Oh, the fights started at noon. Shoot." Kakashi laughed weakly as a very panicked Sasuke tossed a wad of ryo at the shopkeeper and ran off. A wad that Kakashi realised would also cover his purchase as well. "take for everything together… And, eh, how'd the first match go?"

"You mean that Hyuuga kid and the demo- I mean that damned brat?" The shopkeeper began before correcting himself. "Kid won, somehow. From what I heard described on the radio it sounded like that brat tapped into 'Its' power and sucker punched the Hyuuga when everyone though the match was over."

"So… Naruto won? Hehe, good. I'm glad." Kakashi beamed as he left and moved to follow after Sasuke. "Ebisu must have really helped him improve enough to take down Guy's top student… But how did he learn to draw out the fox's power?"

XX Chunin Exam Stadium; Konoha, Fire Country XX

Genma Shiranui watched as the Suna kunoichi made her way back up to the competitor's booth after the Nara kid forfeited. Boy this was turning into a real show; one fight postponed because a competitor hadn't shown up, one fight cancelled because the muppet from Suna gave up before it even began and now a long drawn out match ending in a forfeit… A forfeit from the kid who was winning. This was so embarrassing, and unprofessional, that Genma was just gonna end it.

"Next match, which should have been match two, is Sasuke Uchiha from Konoha Vs. Gaara of Suna." Genma roared. "Both competitors have ninety seconds to enter get down here or face disqualification!"

"So wait, I haven't missed my match?" A voice called out as Sasuke Uchiha, panting and dust covered, Body Flickered into the arena. "S-Sorry… Kakashi thought the fights started at two, not noon."

"Double check your facts kid, can be the difference between a successful mission and an abject failure." Genma chastised before turning to the competitor's box. "Gaara of Suna, you've got sixty seconds… Get down here now!"

_**XXXXX**_

_**Gotta stop here, RL stuff to deal with. Will do the fight another time… Hope what I plan works out well when I do write it.**_

_**Anyway, did this come out okay? Temping? Did it peak anyone's interest or was it crap?**_

_**I'm dyslexic, so please point out any mistakes in spelling or grammar [I spell things the way they do in England and Ireland, so some things may look off to Americans]. Please leave your opinion via review or send them via PM, I'd like to know what you think. Well, I think that's everything I've gotta say so, hope you enjoyed the chapter.**_

_**This is Highvalour saying bye and thanks for reading**_


	72. Katon Vs Bending

_**So… Finally got around to watching Avatar Book two [Earth]. Went through the season in about two evenings after class. So good. Anyway decided to take a break from outlining a few other chapters to write pure, unadulterated crap [so no real change then].**_

_**I've decided to pitch the Fire Nation [and the mystical chi art of Fire Bending] against a few of the shinobi from the most powerful Katon using clan in the Narutoverse…No explanation, no real follow on.. Just chakra's wider range of benefits Vs. chi's faster usage and blending into martial arts. **__**{NOT BASHING AVATAR, I HONESTLY FEEL THE SUPERHUMAN ABILITIES CHAKRA GRANT WOULD MAKE SHINOBI OVER-POWERED IN ALMOST ANY OTHER UNIVERSE}**_

_**Read, Review, let me know what works and doesn't.**_

_**Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto**_

_**Avatar: The Last Airbender belongs to Nickelodeon **_

XX The Southern Air Temple XX

Fugaku Uchiha was more than a little confused. When he'd closed his eyes he had been in his bedroom, kneeling besides his wife of nearly two decades as their son proved he loved the Village over the Clan. For most that would be a great insult, many would be consumed with rage that their own flesh and blood would dare turn their back on the Clan but not Fugaku. He was happy.

His son had escaped their Clan's dreadful curse. He knew Itachi would do right, he understood why Itachi decided to act as he did and Fugaku could honestly say he'd never been prouder of the boy. Eyes closed in acceptance of his faith Fugaku waited… And waited…

'_W__hat is taking the boy so long?' _Fugaku wondered before opening an eye and then quickly shutting it. It was suddenly very bright. There was some muttered conversation, Fugaku estimated about six people surrounding him, and when he opened his eyes again he found a collection of old bold men in orange and yellow surrounding him.

…

"What the hell?" Fugaku muttered slowly as his eyes quickly adjusted for the fact that he was now outside in what looked to be the early morning sun. The early morning sun atop a mountain. The early morning sun atop a mountain and surrounded be people whose style of dress matched nothing Fugaku had ever seen before.

"Black eyes." Someone muttered.

"Afflicted by dark spirits maybe?" Another offered.

"Might explain him just appearing, traveling through the spirit world?" That voice sounded younger.

"But then how does he have his body?" A fourth countered.

"Excuse me?" A kind, almost grandfatherly, voice cut through. This one was definitely directed at him. Turning slightly Fugaku found himself facing one of the older orange and yellow wearing… Monks, maybe? "I am sorry to intrude but who are you? And how did you come to be here?"

"Eh…" Fugaku began but was soon distracted by the big, bushy moustache the man wore. It was weird to look at since facial hair was something you almost never saw amongst the Uchiha… Fire Hazard. "I'm sorry… But where, exactly, is here?"

"This, this is the Southern Air Temple." The old man, who may or may not be a monk, explained kindly. Fugaku relaxed slightly when he was told that, 'Air Temple' most likely meant Wind Country and that meant the only shinobi he'd be likely to run into would be Suna, who Konoha had a long standing alliance with.

"I see." Fugaku said as he rose and dusted down his knees. Taking a quick glance around something weird dawned on Fugaku. This mountain was part of a pretty big mountain range, Wind Country was almost entirely flat desert in the south… Something was off here. Licking his lips, and subtlety shifting into a light defensive stance, Fugaku decided to do some fishing. "So ... I'm not one hundred percent sure where exactly I am, how far to the Wind/Grass Border?"

"I'm sorry, but I am unaware of a border between any regions called Wind or Grass… Are they part of the Earth Kingdom?" The might-be-a-monk answered naturally, in that 'old guy is sorry he is no help' tone Fugaku remembered his uncle using. "But where are my manners, I am Monk Gyatso. Welcome to our temple."

Fugaku let the unasked 'and you are?' hang as he evaluated the monk before him. Old, well older, with a shaved head and thick moustache. The top of his head was either marked with body paint or a tattoo of a large blue arrow, Fugaku wondered which. Under the light orange and yellow robes Fugaku got the impression of an impressive physical build. The kind that came from training in speed based taijutsu. The others showed a similar physique and seemed to be unnerved by his refusal to offer a name.

"Fugaku. Fugaku Uchiha." He introduced himself, eyes scanning each and every visible face for a sign of recognition.

"It is a pleasure to meet you Fugaku." Gyatso greeted before looking off to the side as a group of children, all with shaven heads and in the same orange and yellow robes, entered the courtyard accompanied by another older man. "But it seems we are in the way, the youngsters have meditation and we sadly are in their spot."

Gyatso led Fugaku into the temple proper, so that they might discuss how he came to be there. What followed was… Interesting.

It took nearly a full hour for Fugaku get across that he was not from some place called the 'Fire Nation', he was born and raised in Fire Country. No he and never heard of a 'Fire Lord', his home was run by a daimyo but as a shinobi he wasn't technically subservient to the man. He also had no idea what a firebender was, he could guess but from the looks of these people 'a long period drinking raw whisky' wasn't the right answer.

A quick demonstration of bending, they manipulated the air and said firebending was that but with fire, followed by an off-hand comment about impressive nintaijutsu led into a nearly four hour long debate/argument about chakra, something called chi, ninjutsu and bending… Which was some pretty advanced nintaijutsu that didn't need hand seals to start up.

It also couldn't be detected by his sharingan, which he'd activated and hidden under a simple smokeless Transformation. That was worrying. Now the sharingan was no byakugan when it came to reading chakra, it was better in almost every other way, but he still should have been able to see them moulding their chakra and leaking it into the air around them to manipulate it like that. The phrases 'not futon, airbending' and 'it is called katon not firebending' turned up a lot.

As time passed and Fugaku became more and more annoyed Gyatso, who was leading the monks' side of the discourse, seemed to become more and more amused. Finally losing his cool Fugaku decided to prove that he was NOT a firebender, since these bender guys could only utilise a single affinity, and ran through the sand seals he'd taken from that Kiri shinobi a while back.

"Gah! How is that possible?" One of the other monks gasped as the water in a nearby basin rose up and solidified into a perfect copy of Fugaku.

"Suiton: Water Clone Jutsu." Fugaku and his clone replied in perfect sync.

"H-He controls two elements." A monk hissed in shock and suspicion.

"But he is clearly not Aang, he is not the Avatar." Another muttered.

"I've also learned a few raiton, that's lighting, jutsu along the way but I lack the affinity to use them effectively." Fugaku informed them as his clone collapsed into a puddle. Letting eyes fall on Gyatso Fugaku smirked and leaned forward. "See, not bending. Jutsu."

After that there was about an hour or two of back and forth regarding something called the Avatar, the avatar of whom Fugaku couldn't seem to get an answer too. He knew the current one was named Aang, he'd heard someone say the name, but nothing else. As they explained about controlling the four elements, bringing balance and the whole reincarnation thing Fugaku found his mind drifting off to that stupid rock his clan kept hidden beneath the Naka shrine and was reminded of the crap up there about the Rinnegan and the Sage of Six Paths and the whole 'two sons in eternal conflict' crap… Fugaku wasn't exactly a believer in all that hoodoo rubbish.

Then the little history lesson turned over to the four nations; Fire, Air, Water and Earth. Well nations might be a stretch. The Air Nomads lived as monks and nuns in segregated communities at the four points of the compass. Only ever getting together for reproduction… That sucked. The Water tribe was split between the North Pole, the capital, and the South Pole. The Earth Kingdom was actually more of an alliance of many smaller kingdoms and noble territories all swearing loyalty to some place called Ba Sing Se.

The Fire Nation, was the only real nation. It had a single supreme ruler who controlled a series of islands to the west. It had no vast oceans between it like the Water Tribe and there was none of this silly 'sub-kings' thing like the Earth Kingdom. They were also gearing up for trouble and that was why his casual admission to being able to breath fire had caused some concern hours ago. One of the younger monks had gone off and retrieved a globe of the world to better explain the geographical layout and when Fugaku laid his eyes on it he freaked out.

The globe was wrong. There was on Fire Country, none of the other nations. His home was a massive country connected to other massive countries. It was a damn continent with countries off the mainland. How could his home not be on the maps these airbenders, who claim to have travelled all over the world, created?

Gyatso and the other senior monks tried to calm him, they brought tea and quoted those annoying sayings spiritual people always come out with thinking it helps when it never does. Then one of the bold idiots said something that might actually be useful, he mentioned a library that was said to contain a vast of tomes and scrolls that might help explain how he'd gotten there. He was offered a ride as far as the southern coast of the Earth Kingdom with the next wave of Monks traveling out to search for the boy Aang, an offer he gratefully accepted.

He was given the use of the cell that had belonged to a monk who had recently passed on to use for the night, the search party would be leaving the following morning. Thanking the monks for their kindness, and apologising for his earlier ruddiness, Fugaku accepted the room and bid them good night. Seating himself on the edge of the small cot he reflected on the events of the day, replaying what he had learned over and over… Eventually his mind drifted to home, and to his failings there. The moon was low in the sky when Fugaku finally dozed off.

The attack came at sunrise, when it seemed most of the monks were at prayer and meditation. The first flame, hot enough to compare it to an S-Rank jutsu as far as Fugaku could tell, caught several meditating monks and hopefully killed them instantly. Fugaku watched as men garbed in ridiculously over stylised samurai armour, which he took to be standard issue for the Fire Nation, launched their attack. The monks fought back but fire feeds off of air and their flames tore through the airbending defences.

"Great Fire Destruction!" Fugaku bellowed as he replied to a barely dodged fireball with the 'traditional Uchiha hello'. A lot of Fire Nation soldiers got cooked in the flames, seems that even if they had some pretty impressive nintaijutsu their speed and agility sucked.

Cries of betrayal and friendly fire rang out, seems the Fire Nation had mistaken his jutsu for one of their own. Body Flickering in front of an uninjured soldier Fugaku caught a grip of the man, relieved him of a large dagger he'd worn at the hip, and tossed the man off a ledge… the scream carried well.

Body Flicker and Replacement Jutsu were spammed as he danced between the firebending samurai wannabes. That's not to say there weren't close calls, the heat those moves put out was enough to blister the skin even when Fugaku dodged and they had some impressive taijutsu. Slow compared to a shinobi taijutsu but if he wasn't paying attention they'd definitely lay a punch or kick on him, and the fact that each punch or kick could be made into a fireball via what he still considered nintaijutsu made that a worrying prospect.

More and more came, more and more died, but eventually Fugaku began to tire. He hadn't slept much since Itachi had provoked his officers with worry and hadn't eaten anything since the previous night and spitting fireball after fireball alongside torrents of fire big enough to cook a fully grown Ryuchi Cave snake was taking its toll.

"We got him now." A Fire Nation soldier chuckled, waving his burning hands at Fugaku in an attempt to be intimidating.

"Damn traitor, make him pay." Another spat, foolishly taking his eyes off Fugaku to look at all the fallen.

"Just give up, we might be merciful." A third snorted, making no effect to inject ant false truth into his words.

Before Fugaku could tell them to die several powerful burst of wind knocked the Fire Nation Soldiers back, Fugaku avoiding their faith by binding himself to the ground via chakra. Turning Fugaku spotted Gyatso and half a dozen other monks coming to his aid. One of them was shouting.

"The youngsters are safe, they have evacuated."

"Thank you Fugaku Uchiha." Gyatso said, tears of gratitude forming in the older man's eyes as he reached Fugaku's side. "Your delaying and distracting of the Fire Nation has helped us evacuate many of the survivors… But come, we must go now."

"The battle's far from over." Fugaku snorted, even with the blisters and the burns he was excited. This battle, him against a thousand, had his Uchiha blood singing. His ancestry, the war loving mercenaries his clan were once hailed as, shown through.

"No… I fear this war has only just begun." Gyatso sighed sadly as he and the other monks led Fugaku to one of their giant, six legged flying thing. Fugaku had seen a bison before, and this was no bison.

_**XXXXX**_

XX Farming Village, Western Earth Kingdom – A Little Over A Hundred Years Later In Universe B XX

There was panic, there was chaos, there was pandemonium. He loved it. Kicking back and enjoying the drinks the other bar patrons had abandoned after word about some approaching army, calling themselves the Fire Nation, got out. Fire Nation, who names a country after an element?

Deciding to sample what looked to be a nice wine, the bottle was pretty and well crafted, he noticed his brother enter. The look in the older man's eyes promised fun.

"Let's go, we got a job." Madara Uchiha, son of the clan head, grumbled as he kicked Izuna's legs off of the table.

"Really?" Izuna asked surprised, no one had seemed to recognise them or their fan emblems so it wasn't like anyone was just gonna hire them out of the blue.

"Yeah, the mayor of this little shanty town just offered me a box of gold coins if we deal with these 'Fire Nation' guys." Madara snorted before picking up his kama and giving it a few swings. "So let's get moving you lazy ass."

"Alright, alright." Izuna grumbled as he got up and followed his brother out onto the streets of the weird little town they'd found themselves outside of a short while ago. No idea how they got there one minute the brothers are sparring while they waited for their father to finish negotiating a deal with some local warlord and the next they are in the middle of a nowhere with just this little farming hamlet in sight.

Walking casually to the edge of town the brothers Uchiha first laid their eyes on the forces of the Fire Nation, and were unimpressed. About twenty men, most armed with fancy spears, supported about another twenty men riding some kind of big lizard thing. The only thing that really warranted their attention was the trio of big metal spikey boxes moving towards the town.

"What in the name of all that is sacred are those… things?" Izuna asked dumbfounded.

"The mayor called them komodo rhinos." Madara explained as he watched the mounted troops gallop towards them, one using a katon jutsu to launch a fireball at them. Bit of chakra flow to his kama and Madara easily deflected the blast. "Huh… I'd say that was a low C-Rank."

"Komodo rhinos?" Izuna repeated slowly in confusion, made sense actually since he'd been asking about the box things.

"Well the mayor said the attacking force had komodo rhino cavalry so I'm guessing that's what they're called." His big brother went on, causing Izuna to reach up and smack the back of Madara's head.

"I meant the metal thing dumbass." It was normal brotherly insults. They did it all the time, usually before one of them wanted a sparring match.

"Oh, those things… No clue." Madara shrugged as he deflected another fireball. "You wanna say hello… Or should I?"

"I got it." Izuna yawned as he made the Horse sign. "Great Fire Annihilation!"

The ground troops and the mounted soldiers died horribly, engulfed in a tidal wave of red hot flame. The metal boxes, glowing from the heat, pushed on. The brothers had to admit, they were impressed at the boxes' ability to withstand the 'traditional Uchiha hello'. Madara looked to Izuna, who shrugged, and then pulled a kunai from a pouch. Watching as the box things got closer Madara held out his hand to Izuna and waited. And waited.

"Ahem." Madara said as he made a 'give-it-here' motion.

"One of these days, you're gonna have to start carrying your own tags Brother." Izuna muttered before handing over an explosive tag.

"Why will I ever need my own when I'll always have my little brother's stash on hand?" Madara chuckled before fixing the tag to the kunai and launching it at the closest box.

BOOM!

Tiny shards of red hot twisted metal rained down as the smouldering wreck of the box thing slowed to a halt.

"That was one of those Uzumaki tags… Wasn't it?" Madara asked as he deflected the shrapnel.

"Might have been, yeah." Izuna confirmed. Dammit, he'd wasted one of the good tags on something as stupid looking as a moving metal box. "So… You take the left, I take the right?"

"Fine with me." Madara yawned before Body Flickering on top of his box and crouching. Placing a hand to the roof he began to channel chakra into the metal which quickly began to warp and distort due to the extreme heat generated by both the Great Fire Annihilation and his fiery chakra flow. A few seconds later screaming rang out as the temperature inside the box reached unbearable levels and the men inside began to bake.

Izuna, for his part, simply Body Flickered behind his box and pumped chakra into the muscles of his arm. As such his punch broke through the metal plating, allowing him to drop off a much weaker explosive tag and back away casually.

All in all, the destruction of the so-called 'Fire Nation Army' took about five minutes. Including brotherly banter. Returning to collect their earnings from the terrified mayor, seems firebender was just the local term for katon user and the Fire Nation was a country of firebenders. After getting their money, and asking around about any other places they could get work, the Uchiha Clan heir and his little brother set off in search of battle. In search of bloodshed. In search of something to end the boredom already setting in.

_**XXXXX**_

XX Southern Water Tribe Settlement, South Pole – A Few Months Previous In Universe C XX

Being cold, Sasuke decided, sucked. It sucked just like the lingering pain in his coils from Orochimaru using him as a vessel to return and it sucked like the hollowness Itachi's death had left… Well okay, the pain from the Snake using his chakra and the traces of DNA he'd taken for the power-up sucked a bit more in the short term but it was fading. What was the worst had to be the hollowness. The emptiness he felt when he tried to think ahead, the uncertainty.

"Why am I alive?" Sasuke asked the small icy domain he had been given to recover.

It had been close to two weeks since he'd been found, near death out on the ice sheets. He didn't know how he'd made it to the South Pole, didn't know what had happened. He knew Itachi was dead. That he knew.

"_Forgive me Sasuke… It ends with this." Itachi wheezed as he reached out, his eyes black and lifeless. His fingers reached too high, missing Sasuke's eye and instead made contact with the younger Uchiha's forehead._

_A smile spread across Itachi's face as he begged forgiveness, poking Sasuke as he had often done in their youth. Itachi Uchiha, the monster that butchered the Uchiha Clan and tormented Sasuke's thoughts all these years, collapsed dead with a smile on his face._

_Sasuke stared, his emotions a maelstrom, down at his dead brother while the rain continued to fall. His eyes closed, only for a second, and when the opened the rain was gone. The wreckage and ruins of his Clan's ancient citadel replaced by fields of ice and snow. Standing there, dripping wet, as the cold set in Sasuke shivered before exhaustion - mental, physical, emotion, chakra – overtook him and he fell as well. His last blurry sight, two blobs of blue coming towards him._

You're alive because my grandchildren found you." A voice cut in, alerting Sasuke to the presence at his dwelling's door.

"That's why I'm here." Sasuke said softly as he sat up and turned to face the Elder who led the people Sasuke was convince where crazy. Only reason he could see to make a home in this frozen hellscape. "Not why I'm alive."

"You're alive because we found you so quickly and managed to get you warm." The Elder chuckled as she sat be his bedside and handed over a steaming bowl.

The contents of which consisted of melted fat, pulped meat of some kind and some stock to dilute the thick past into something drinkable. It was foul and tasted bad but Sasuke needed the fat for energy, he had to constantly mould his chakra into Fire to keep his temperature up and fight off hyperthermia and that was costing him lots of energy. Ignoring the spoon offered the Uchiha raised the bowl to his lips and downed half the contents in a single gulp, only pausing to spit out a piece of bone that was left over in the stock.

"Hahaha, you're the only man I've ever seen able to drink that awful stuff without letting it cool even a little. How do you do it?" The Elder laughed as she removed fresh wrappings and a poultice for his injuries. "And more importantly, how is your back?"

"The gunk you covered the burns in yesterday itches like made… Stinks as well." Sasuke grumbled before downing the rest of his fat, ie energy and heat, rich broth. "… You don't have to do this, you're people have little as it is and you owe me nothing. Why are you wasting food and medicine on someone you don't know? Why give a stranger this bed and these furs for warmth… Why am I alive?"

"Because you needed help." Was the only reply he got before the Elder had him lean forward so she could remove the bandages and inspect the burns that marred the right side of his upper back. She'd asked how he'd gotten them but he had yet to give the real answer. Seems even Orochimaru's oral regeneration technique either had a limit to what it could heal or Sasuke just sucked at using it since the patch of skin that his Curse Seal once warped into a twisted misshapen wing was still badly burnt from Itachi's Amaterasu. As wrappings peeled away to expose new flesh, the return of chakra let him internally treat his burns via old Uchiha trick, the Elder continued trying to coax information from him "And because hyperthermia, exhaustion and burns are three things I have a lot of experience treating… But these burns are different, I have never seen burn patterns such as these before. Who burned you so badly?"

_Itachi smothered the Great Fireball with the black flames, then turned his cursed eye on Sasuke. The younger Uchiha ran, circling the roof of the citadel barely keeping ahead of the all-consuming fire. He was still drawing on the power of his Curse Seal, the black marks spread partly across his form and his back twisted to feature a grotesques wing. He needed to keep it up just a little longer, a little more heat._

_The Amaterasu caught the tip of his wing and spread, up the appendage and across his back. Agony brought Sasuke to the ground, instinct making him curl up to protect himself from the flames. _

"A monster… One who killed the rest of my Clan." Sasuke answered before hissing in discomfort as more of the foul smelling poultice was added. "I killed him, but not before he burned me."

"A firebender? I thought as much… But to have been left out here afterwards, that's curious." The Elder muttered and Sasuke thought the pressure she applied the poultice with increased slightly. "You were a soldier, weren't you? I can see it in the toning of your body, lean and built for speed, as well as by the callouses on your hands. I wonder-"

"You think I'm someone else, someone involved in the war your people whisper of?" Sasuke guessed as he turned to face the old woman. "I never knew the Poles were inhabited, your people and culture are new to me… I am not your enemy."

"but you are a firebender, don't deny it." The woman didn't sound openly hostile but her words still held an edge to them.

"I don't know what that means…" Sasuke admitted, looking the woman square in the eyes and making no effort to hide his emotions. "… if you mean can I perform katon jutsu, then yes. Yes I can. I am Uchiha and katon has been our power since we began… But we never ventured from the mainland, too many clients and contracts to warrant expanding, so I doubt your people could have ever gone to war with mine."

"So you are not from the Fire Nation, is that correct?" The edge was still there, but had softened somewhat.

"I was born in Fire Country-" Sasuke stressed the word country, to convey it was not this Fire Nation. "- but I turned my back on them some time ago… I have no homeland, nowhere to return too."

"I would be careful saying that too loudly." The Elder advised as she began reapplying bandages. "There are some here in the village who may not be willing to accept your claim that this 'Fire Country' is not just another name for the Fire Nation."

"But you do?" Sasuke asked slowly.

"Maybe, maybe not… All I know for sure is you have been honest, if out completely forthcoming, and I do not see you as a threat to my home." Her words held kindness, kindness that faded in an instant as she continued talking. "But know this, make me think you are danger and I will not hesitate to end you."

"I understand." Sasuke assured the Elder before stretching carefully and then scanning the dwelling for some kind of a shirt. "I have been a burden, an invalid you cared for, long enough. I'll earn my keep until I am healed, and until I have repaid you for what was wasted treating me."

"Hahaha, if you said that fifteen minutes ago you could have gone fishing with my grandchildren." The Elder chuckled before going off to a corner and pulling a large, bulky parka out of a pile. "Wear this, and the tunic at the bottom of your bed. Keep the fire in your belly to a minimum, don't want you radiating out enough heat to melt the ice and panic everyone."

"Things must be bad out there, if fire can induce such fear." Sasuke noted to himself while he dressed. Carefully slipping the parka on Sasuke glanced down at his left palm. A quick chirping accompanied the split second surge of raiton chakra that engulfed his arm. "The Uchiha were once regarded as the supreme masters of fire, a mastery they used to protect Konoha… Maybe it is time our skills protected someone again?"

_**XXXXX**_

_**Well, two of these turned out nothing like planned. Fugaku's placement at The Southern Air Temple turned out long enough to be a stand-alone and Sasuke's time with the Southern Water Tribe very quickly turned into the pilot for an idea I had, and crushed, almost two years ago [when I watched Book One: Water].**_

_**EDIT: DELETED**_  
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_**I'm dyslexic, so please point out any mistakes in spelling or grammar [I spell things the way they do in England and Ireland, so some things may look off to Americans]. Please leave your opinion via review or send them via PM, I'd like to know what you think. Well, I think that's everything I've gotta say so, hope you enjoyed the chapter.**_

_**This is Highvalour saying bye and thanks for reading**_


	73. Displaced ch2

_**Just a quick continuation to chapter 70, to get me back into the swing of writing Naruto characters. I hope to be able to focus more time to fanfic writing now that my most recent course is finished and I have a full time job – so that source of stress is gone and my deposition is much better.**_

_**Read, Review, let me know what works and doesn't.**_

_**Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto**_

_**XXXXX**_

XX Orochimaru's base; grass country XX

"C'mon out, Naruto."

The voice, similar but oh so different, wafts down lazily. She steps forward, blinking in the harsh sunlight after the dim lighting of Orochimaru's tunnels. Sakura is there already, crouched over a badly injured Sai and staring up in shock at something… Someone… Standing atop of the jagged hole in what was once the roof of the chamber.

Sasuke Uchiha. There he was. He'd chanced a bit since their fight at the Valley of the End. He was taller and had filled out a bit. He'd swapped out the white shirts for a pair of dark blue trousers and lighter blue body wrap while his old navy t-shirt was now white. One of Orochimaru's ugly purple rope belts was tied in a simple knot at his right side.

"Sasuke… It is you." The surprise is clear, even to her, in her voice. Two and a half years looking and there he was. Naruto had been afraid for a long time that she'd fail. That she'd arrive to find that snake Orochimaru running around in her teammate's body.

Those red and black sharingan eyes met her own blue, seeming to take in every feature of her form before narrowing slightly – the look causing phantom pains in her chest from the memories of the last time she'd stared into those eyes.

"Okay… Seriously… What the hell?"

"We've come to take you back to Konoha, Sasuke Uchiha." Yamato called out as he emerged from the tunnels behind her. "Come peacefully with us, and it will stand to you at your hearing."

"Take me back to Konoha?" Sasuke said slowly, and for a moment Naruto actually thought he might be about to agree, before closing his eyes and letting out a sigh. "No. Too many problems to be 'upRooted'… Too many matters left hanging for me to return now."

"You don't really have a choice in wither you come or not, just if it's willingly or in bindings." Yamato pointed out before slipping into a loose fighting stance.

"Sasuke please, come back." Sakura pleaded from Sai's side where she was busy treating the emotionless boy's wounds.

"I've got things to do first..." Sasuke apologised as his hand moved towards his sword handle. "… Maybe next time."

And they were off. Sasuke made straight for the still injured Sai, only Yamato's quick reflexes with his Mokuton saved the young ANBU from being beheaded. With his chokuto immobilised by the charka fed wood Sasuke was forced to engage the ANBU captain and jinchuuriki in taijutsu while Sakura tried to heal Sai as quickly as possible.

Naruto created clones, Yamato wooden traps, but none of it did any good against the sharingan's ability to predict attacks and see chakra. That's not to say the 'Last Uchiha' dominated the fight, on the contrary. Naruto's clones might not have been able to match his taijutsu skills but in the confined space of what was once a room their numbers began to tip the balance. The constant use of Mokuton to force Sasuke to give up any position where he seemed able to easily defend himself helped. When Sakura joined the fight, having decided Sai was in no immediate danger of death from his injuries, Sasuke was finally pushed too far.

A quick jab and suddenly a spear of pure Raiton chakra was piercing Yamato's shoulder, transferring a massive electrical current into the Mokuton user's body. Sakura's attack was stopped easily, by ignoring her fist and catching her forearm, and the medic found herself being used as a flail to disperse a trio of Naruto's clones. A second later both Sakura and Sasuke were the centre of an electrical storm as, judging by the sounds of birds chirping, Sasuke used another Chidori based jutsu to subdue her.

This left Naruto, two clones and a still badly injured Sai to try and beat some sense into Sasuke. Sending the two clones ahead Naruto formed a half dozen more clones and charged. However, without Yamato's Mokuton forcing Sasuke to shift position constantly the Uchiha was able to adapt a stable defensive stance and proceeded to dominate the clash. Clone after clone disappeared in poofs of smoke, all to wounds that Naruto somehow knew would shatter bone of burst organs, while she had to stay back and constantly create more and more clones to try and overwhelm Sasuke.

As more and more chakra went into producing stronger and stronger clones Naruto subconsciously began to call on the Kyuubi's power, as she'd become accustomed to doing during her travels with Jiraiya. By the time she'd realised it was happening it was too late, the Fox had a link.

'**Yes, Take My Power… Offer A Part Of Yourself To Me For The Power I Possess. I Can Help You, Let Me Out. Let Me Fight In Your Stead, A 'Champion' If You Will… I Can Guarantee You Victory, I Can Ensure The Uchiha Is In No State To Oppose Your Wishes… LET. ME. OUT!'**

Clamping down on it, Naruto tried to suppress the Kyuubi. She'd lost control against Orochimaru, she'd hurt her friend – again – and had vowed not to draw on the demon anymore. But she knew it had a hold, could feel the changes as the demon's power surged through her chakra pathways. Nails and teeth elongated into claws and fangs, facial markings deepening and eyes reddening to mimic the demon itself.

A sudden rush of surprise, confusion and phantom pain broke Naruto's concentration and brought her attention to Sasuke – who was half obscured by the poofs of smoke her clones left behind when destroyed. Their eyes met, feral slits and mitsudomoe surrounded pupil , and something exploded behind Naruto's retina. The world quickly fading to black.

_**X**_

XX Within the Eight Trigrams Seal XX

Blood shot feral slits locked onto crimson starbusts as Sasuke stared up at the mighty Kyuubi, whose real name he'd heard Naruto mention while facing Obito but could not recall at the moment. It seemed that Sasuke had beat Naruto's own mind down her to the seal that held his – her -… That held Naruto's prisoner.

"**Those Cursed Eyes… This Chakra, So Cold And Malevolent… Nice To See Madara Has A Successor." **Kurama growled, a twisted amusement detectable in its booming voice. **"How Far You've Come, Little Uchiha. When I Last Caught A Glimpse Of You, Back At The Valley, You Needed The World's Power To Match A Fragment Of My Magnificence… Now You Stand Before Me, Weathering The Maelstrom Of My Might, Fuelled By Your Own Darkness… Such Growth Is Impressive."**

"I haven't come for flattery, Kyuubi, but to issue a warning." Sasuke hissed, not being in the mood for wordplay with the monster who – although not in control of itself at the time – ruined any hope for his Clan and the Village to coexist. "I know about the 'Red Moon' and what part you would play in such a thing… Any information you can offer now would be much appreciated."

"… **Sorry Little Human, A Demon Keeps Its Secrets Close." **The mightiest of the Bijuu hissed. **"But I Will Tell You Now, You Are Different. I've Seen Many Like You, Inheritors Of 'His' Mantle. But Only One Other Has Attained The Power I See In Your Eyes… Do Not Become Like Madara, Do Not Fully Lose Yourself To Your Heritage."**

"That your way of telling me not to kill Naruto or I'll regret it?" Sasuke asked as another wave of demonic power washed over him. He'd debated with calling out Susanoo as a show of strength but it would be a waste, a pointless display.

"**Not Killing My 'Host' Would Be Appreciated, At Least Until I Can Escape This Wretched Imprisonment." **The Kyuubi agreed before its eyes flickered up to glance behind Sasuke. **"But Before I Go, I Will Offer You A Warning… What You'll Face If The 'Red Moon' Comes To Be, Is Far Worse Than The Sum Of Its Parts – The Demon Cannot Be Beaten By Any Currently Living. It Must Be Kept Dormant."**

"Thanks for telling me nothing new." Sasuke sighed as he flared his chakra and suppressed the demonic fox before him. Once the Kyuubi was gone Sasuke reverted his sharingan to the baseline three tomoe and turned, to find the still disconcerting image of a female-Naruto watching him.

"Why? Why are you fighting us?" The tone, anger and confusion, was almost perfect – just spoiled by a girl's higher voice. Sasuke's mind still rebelled, still argued against what his senses informed it. He could see the different body structure, could hear the feminine voice and – at one point during the melee against Naruto's clones – had accidently caught a handful that added evidence to Naruto being a girl.

"You defended the ROOT." Sasuke replied when it became clear he-she- was waiting for an answer.

"Sai? You attacked us because of Sai?" The female Naruto spluttered. "We haven't replaced you, he's just a temporary member of Team Seven – same as Captain Yamato… Once you come back to Konoha Sai will be on his way back to whatever weirdo group they got him from and things will be back to normal."

"You think I attacked because…? Ha. Haha. Hahahaha" Sasuke began before breaking out into laughter. Sasuke was generally amused but that didn't come across, even he'd agree the laugh sounded mocking and cruel… Maybe there were still some lingering effects of his decent into Darkness. Calming himself Sasuke opened his mouth to explain that he attacked the ROOT shinobi because of Danzo when he sensed the air around his cheek being displaced. Quickly killing the genjutsu technique that let him into Naruto's subconscious –

XX Orochimaru's base; grass country XX

– And leapt clear of the Mokuton user's, whom the female Naruto called Yamato, attempt to entrap him. Placing some distance between himself and the mass of wooden branches meant to bind him Sasuke let out a hiss of annoyance, that particular kekkei genkai was really starting to annoy him.

Dodging another burst of branches, sidestepping a chakra infused punch and destroying several poorly made ink-snakes Sasuke found himself with his back against the thick wooden root that had stopped his blade from finishing off the ROOT. Ripping his chokuto free Sasuke ducked under another attempt by Sakura to knock him out and, having sensed Orochimaru ever sense leaving the genjutsu, he used the Body Flicker jutsu to relocate himself atop the jagged gash in what was once the roof of his room.

"Why… Why don't you get it?!" Female-Naruto screamed as she shook off the latent disorientation his genjutsu had caused. "Orochimaru, he's gonna take over your body! Why won't you come back with us?"

A good question, why didn't he? Sasuke didn't want to kill Itachi with every fibre of his being, he wanted to become Hokage and fix the flaws the previous generations had caused. Why wasn't he following them back?

'_Because I know nothing about the Konoha they want to take you back too.' _A small voice, the voice of detached practicality, hissed. _'Whatever saved me from Madara's attempted stabbing had the side-effect of altering something as fundamental as a person's gender – what else is different, what else is wrong here?'_

"Orochimaru has what I need." Sasuke told tem truthfully, Orochimaru would surely have records and reports from his spies that could help Sasuke find the differences and avoid blundering into trouble due to ignorance.

"but we can help you." Sakura said. "Team Seven can help you get strong enough to kill Itachi, just let us… Please?"

At the mention of 'killing Itachi' Sasuke's grip on his sword tightened and it took some effort to suppress the urge to lunge forward and attack. They didn't know, like Itachi wanted. Attacking them for believing what they were meant to believe was unfair… Lashing out in guilt wasn't something Sasuke planned to do anymore.

"Now, Now. Don't go trying to steal my apprentice." Orochimaru's chuckled as he and Kabuto decided to reveal themselves. "Is everything alright here Sasuke?"

"Fine." Sasuke managed, focusing on maintaining a detached and bored expression on his face while confronted with the mad shinobi and the future Sage. "Let's go."

"Are you sure, I'd hate to interrupt this little reunion." Orochimaru asked, amusement and malice mixing in his voice.

"I'm leaving." Sasuke said as he sheathed his blade and began the Flame Flicker jutsu, a more chakra intensive and longer ranged version of the standard Body flicker. As he vanished, Sasuke's sharingan caught the hurt looks on the faces of Sakura and Naruto.

_**XXXX**_

_**I'm dyslexic, so please point out any mistakes in spelling or grammar [I spell things the way they do in England and Ireland, so some things may look off to Americans]. Please leave your opinion via review or send them via PM, I'd like to know what you think. Well, I think that's everything I've gotta say so, hope you enjoyed the chapter.**_

_**This is Highvalour saying bye and thanks for reading**_


	74. Team Nightmare And Everything Kicks Off!

_**So, moved house [and now have no internet access until Eircom comes out and installs Efibre… That means I have nothing to distract me or inspire new ideas and keep me from continuing this story.**_

_**Read, Review, let me know what works and what works not.**_

_**Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto**_

_**Fullmetal Alchemist belongs to Hiromu Arakawa**_

_**Devil May Cry belongs to Capcom**_

_**Venom belongs to Marvel Comics**_

_**XXXXX**_

XX Chunin Exam Stadium; Konoha, Fire Country XX

Choji Akimichi, despite his timid and kind nature, was proving to be a real challenge for Temari. The size and power behind his Human Boulder jutsu were a little too far up the 'Unstoppable Force Scale' for her Futon jutsu to counter. Sure she could pull out the big jutsu, maybe even summon that sickle carrying weasel, but she needed to keep as much chakra as possible for the upcoming Invasion. And while it galled at her to have to hold back as much as this, Temari had her orders.

Diving to the side to avoid another attempted flattening by the Akimichi heir Temari tried to come up with a plan. She could try and wait him out, maintaining that jutsu must be pretty chakra intensive, but that would require skill and luck for every one of his attacks… While he'd only need to get lucky once.

No, better to take him down as quick as possible… But how? Explosives were an option but she might need them later, ninja tools might work but she had a small number of them.

"Wait, the weapon user." Temari hissed as she surveyed the arena, still littered with discarded weapons from Tenten's clash against Hinata. Dodging another charge from her opponent Temari began formulating a plan.

XX Chunin Exam Stadium Competitor's Booth; Konoha, Fire Country XX

"As much as I appreciate the show of support, saying I'm the only one who you know could beat you has bumped me up on crazy boy's 'Kill List'." Naruto hissed to his dark haired teammate. "Thanks for that."

"You're welcome." Sasuke replied. "Any idea what's with that girl… Tenten?"

"Oh, I have no idea." Naruto lied easily as he watched that girl from Suna use a powerful gust from her fan to pick up and direct several of the weapons left over from pervious fights straight at Choji.

"She keeps glaring and muttering and sending me the evil eye… I don't get it, I haven't done anything to her." Sasuke went on, paying no mind to the fight even as Choji expanded his right arm to nearly Bijuu size and tried to crush Temari under it.

"Maybe that's the problem, maybe she's jealous you aren't showing her any attention." Naruto offered, wondering if he could get the Uchiha into even more trouble with the weapons user.

"Maybe she's annoyed she didn't get to fight you." Sakura hissed, still clearly annoyed over how her fight went.

"You think?" Sasuke asked, hoping to find some way to stop the girl glaring at him. "Well I've been planning a rematch against Lee, neither of us really went all out… I could ask her if she wants a little match then and there as well."

While Sasuke went off to propose the idea of a fight later that week Sakura smirked and Naruto, who glared at her for ruining his fun. When the fight below finally ended, Temari having detonated an explosive tag in Choji's face to beat him, Naruto glanced over at Gaara.

The redhead was staring with such intensity that Naruto thought he might catch fire from it. Genma hadn't even finished announcing Temari's victory before Gaara was down there, the sand already released from his gourd and murder in his weird pupiless eyes.

"Crap." Naruto muttered before setting off towards the stairs, and his potential death. "… Stupid Sasuke and his stupid mouth… I'm not unkillable like he is."

_**X**_

Gaara was practically shaking with excitement. The Uchiha was strong enough to have mother worried and had named the boy, Naruto, has the only one who could beat him. If Gaara could defeat the boy it would be a sure way to validate his existence. The chance to feed Mother good blood was also nice, since then maybe she'd start talking again and not just occasionally whimper.

"The Uchiha said you are strong, make this a good fight." Gaara growled as Naruto took his place across the arena from him.

"Sasuke says a lot of crap, this time he was right." Naruto chuckled, laying on the bravado a bit thick to cover up his nervousness. Plans rarely survive encounters with the enemy and this was one enemy Naruto desperately wanted to avoid not surviving against.

"Alright you two… Fight!" Genma roared before fleeing for his life.

Gaara's sand surged forward, forming great lances of compacted sand.

Naruto clapped once and slapped the ground.

The entirety of the crowd gasped as nearly a third of the arena snapped up on Gaara like a comically oversized bear trap. The gasps intensified as the mass of earth shattered outward and Gaara, surrounded by a miniature sandstorm, stood unharmed. With a snarl Gaara sent his sand forward and put Naruto on the defensive, forcing him to keep moving or transmute small earthen walls for the waves of sand to break against.

A truly impressive display of agility from Konoha's resident Uzumaki kept him one step ahead of Gaara's sand. All this acrobatic action served two purposes; Firstly, and most importantly, it was keeping Naruto from becoming a bloody smear and secondly it was allowing him the time to think.

"Alright, lets try this." Naruto gulped before he stopped darting about the place and faced the sand head on. As the mass of sand bore down on him he clapped his hands together, becoming the transmutation circle, and reached out. Gloved hand touched demon sand and alchemy took effect.

A surge of arcane lightning radiated out from the point of impact and transfigured Gaara's sand into crude glass, something the Suna shinobi could not control.

"Wha… What did you do?" Gaara gasped, as a moment of panic gripped him. Calming himself Gaara dropped his Armour of Sand, trading defence for a source of material to replace his offensive sand.

"Made one ugly art piece." Naruto joked as he inspected the giant lump of misshaped glass. "Bet it'd sell for millions at some uppity art exhibit."

"I see now why the Uchiha thinks you could beat him, I think this fight will be fun." Gaara said, a truly unhinged smirk stretching across his face as he did so. Gaara directed nearly a third of his sand deep underground, where it began to grind up the earth and rock to produce more material for him to use. He'd need as much sand as possible for this because, Invasion Plans be damned, he was going to kill this boy.

XX Chunin Exam Stadium Competitor's Booth; Konoha, Fire Country XX

"Huh, this is interesting." Sasuke said, breaking the stunned silence that followed Naruto countering Gaara's sand attack.

"What's interesting?" Sakura asked.

"I think I'm gonna be getting a new weapon soon." Sasuke explain, leaving confused looks on the faces of everyone present.

"Why, gonna go buy something when the tournament is over or something?" Choji asked.

"Nope, my weapons are the result of killing high level demons, then exercising considerable force of will to take control of their souls and mould them into a weapon imbued with their magic and powers." Sasuke told them. "Well apart from Rebellion here, but that's an entirely different type of DevilArm."

"Wait! You got your weapons by Killing Demons?!" Temari shrieked.

"Yep, and I think I'm gonna have a chance to add another to my collection if things keep going the way they are." Sasuke chuckled. "didn't think a runt like Gaara would have it in him to hold back a Bijuu, but the kid's doing pretty well. Calling it out in a steady and controlled manner… Pretty impressive."

"Eh… Haha… You… You know he's a…" Temari stuttered before, thankfully, Orochimaru's spy in the Konoha ranks activated the genjutsu to signal the beginning of the invasion. Dropping every explosive tag she had left and lunging out the window Temari raced towards Gaara.

He might be a psycho, he might have threatened to kill her many times and me most definitely was an asshole… But he was her little brother and she had to at least get him away from the guy who casually admits to killing demons for their souls.

_**X**_

The sudden feeling of lethargy crashed down on Naruto, distracting him and slowing his reactions just enough for Gaara's sand to catch a grip of his arm. Snapping out of the genjutsu's effects Naruto slapped his free hand against the sand and, thankfully, managed to line his palms up to create an alchemy circle [with the sand filling in for part of it]. Pulling his arm free from its glassy prison Naruto grumbled as his coat and shirt sleeve were shredded by the rough glass, good job it was the automail arm that had been caught.

Glancing towards Gaara, to see why the little psycho hadn't attacked, Naruto saw the boy's sister rushing towards him just before the competitor's booth blew up. As if waiting for some signal, which was the burst of smoke from the Kage observation booth, hundreds of enemy shinobi began attacking.

Quickly transmuting a spear out of earth Naruto charged, he didn't know what exactly was going on but it was clear that Suna had betrayed Konoha. This theory was given even further proof when a blade of chakra-infused chakra nearly took his head off.

Rolling into a defensive stance Naruto watched as Gaara's puppet using brother and the half-faced sensei landed between him and Gaara.

"Temari! Kankuro! Get Gaara to the meeting point, these Oto nin will have the prepared sand waiting for the Shukaku's awakening!" 'Half-Face' ordered as he formed another blade of wind and prepared to attack.

"No!" Gaara growled, bloodlust and complete insanity twisting his face into something from most people's nightmares. "I'm gonna kill him now, I'll kill everyone right now!"

The boy's sand began to rise before stopping, suspended in the air around him as his face went blank for a moment. When any sign of life returned Gaara snarled in frustration. Temari yelped and jumped back as the sand gathered beneath Gaara and rose, carrying the boy into the sky above them.

"Go! Make sure Gaara reaches the meeting point!" 'Half-face' snapped again before engaging Naruto to keep him occupied.

"Tag!" Someone yelled before Naruto was happy slapped as a red blur rushed past. "Oh, and I called dibs on 'Beach Boy'!"

"Goddammit Sasuke!" Naruto spat before remembering that the Suna jonin was there and ducking under another wind blade.

"Boo!" Sakura roared as she swung in and kicked the jonin hard enough to crack the protective plating in his flak jacket, and break a rib or two. Letting her 'Venom Face' peel back Sakura turned to Naruto and nodded towards the Kage Booth.

"When the hell did that happen?" Naruto asked, honestly shocked he'd missed someone planting a giant translucent purple box on the roof.

"A minute or two ago, just after that Suna girl tried to kill us all with some explosive tags but before the Suna and Oto ninja invaded." Sakura shrugged. "Anyway, the snake guy from the forest is back and we're calling dibs on him… Just letting you know."

"What! Oh, come on." Naruto complained as 'Half-Face' slowly rose to his feet completely ignored, until he was attacked by Genma. "Sasuke gets the walking sandstorm and you get the guy who survived a fight with… Well you… Who am I meant to fight?"

"There are two separate armies invading the Village as you speak, I'm sure you'll find someone to fight against." Genma yelled. "So how about you start!?"

"That's right, you are the 'Army-Killer' after all." Sakura chuckled before her suit reformed around her head and she swung off to fight the weirdo from the forest.

"Dammit, this blows." Naruto muttered before casually tossing his spear at an Oto ninja who just so happened to catch his eye.

"Augh! My SPLEEN!"

_**XXXXX**_

_**So… I hope this will tide over anyone who was hopping for Team Nightmare to continue, at least until I decide to write another chapter of it [don't expect another one any time soon.]**_

_**Incidentally I just checked and it has been eight months and twelve days**__** since I posted anything Team Nightmare related. Huh… did I just preform necromancy?**_

_**I'm dyslexic, so please point out any mistakes in spelling or grammar [I spell things the way they do in England and Ireland, so some things may look off to Americans]. Please leave your opinion via review or send them via PM, I'd like to know what you think. Well, I think that's everything I've gotta say so, hope you enjoyed the chapter.**_

_**This is Highvalour saying bye and thanks for reading**_


	75. Displaced Ch3

_**Just a little follow up to chapters 70 and 73.**_

_**AN! IMPORTANT NOTE: I stopped reading Naruto after Obito came back from the Pure World, gave Kakashi both sharingan eyes and Kakashi summoned the Perfect Susanoo instantly. So from this point on if I write anything that contradicts any event revealed following that point – including the pairings from the epilogue – tough. I am willing to take scenes or jutsu or dialogue from the chapters that followed but I won't be holding myself to them.**_

_**Read, Review, let me know what works and doesn't.**_

_**Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto**_

_**XXXXX**_

XX Orochimaru's Eastern Base; Otherwise Uninhabited Island North of Water Country XX

"How was it seeing your old teammates again, Sasuke?" Orochimaru asked casually as the trio of himself, Kabuto Yakushi and Sasuke Uchiha descended into the bowels of his hidden lab. It had been three days since his Grass Country base had been compromised and they had made good time in traveling to this highly isolated location. They'd managed such good time by traveling within the belly of one of the larger snakes native to the Ryuchi Caves.

"You should answer Lord Orochimaru when he speaks to you Sasuke, it is rude not too." Kabuto hissed when it became clear that the young dojutsu bearer had no intention of answering.

"… That was the strength of Tsunade, wasn't it." Sasuke said, not a question but a statement, as he stepped around Kabuto and stared towards Orochimaru. "Sakura has studied under your old teammate."

"As has young Naruto under Jiraiya, a new Deadlock is well on the way to forming in the current generation." Kabuto joked, referring to the old style of 'Rock, Paper, Scissors' that interestingly reflected the Sannin's respective summons. "My sources indicate that Ms. Haruno is better than the Hokage was at her age… An impressive feat for someone only training about as long has you've been here in Oto."

"… you still have spies in Konoha?" Sasuke asked, ignoring Kabuto and focusing completely on Orochimaru. "I want to see what they've reported."

"Kukuku… So seeing your old teammates has made you nostalgic, has it Sasuke?" Orochimaru chuckled as he accepted a scroll detailing all the progress his subordinates had made in the labs while he was away.

"… No… Just shown that they won't give up trying to take me back." Sasuke answered after a moment of silence. "I need to know, everything, so I can account for their actions and counter their plans."

Kukuku, I see." Orochimaru chuckled again before glancing from Sasuke to Kabuto and back. "Kabuto, take Sasuke here to the archives and give him any reports he wants to see."

Lord Orochimaru… Are you certain -" Kabuto began before a burst of killing intent from the Snake Sannin stopped him.

"Do not question me on this Kabuto." Orochimaru growled before slipping on his 'gentle' mask again. "The pursuit of knowledge should never be impeded… Show Sasuke what he wants then come join me, we have matters to discuss."

"O-of course, Lord Orochimaru." Kabuto agreed, somewhat rattled by the killing intent, before gesturing for Sasuke to follow.

As the grey haired medic led the raven haired Uchiha down a side passage Orochimaru stood and watched through narrowed eyes. Something had changed in the Uchiha, something was off since he'd run into the jinchuuriki and those fleas from Konoha. His chakra had darkened, it was now even more malevolent than Orochimaru's own, but the distinctive aura of tainted natural energy had dimmed… As if the Curse Seal was fully gone and not just being hindered by that wretched Evil Suppressing Seal.

Letting the boy waste time reading old reports from spies would be the perfect way to keep him distracted while Orochimaru discussed the best way to subtly drug and restrain Sasuke with Kabuto. Not that the Snake Sannin had any doubt in his Living Corpse Reincarnation would allow him to claim the sharingan, a stepping stone on the road to the rinnegan, but in the face of these changes caution would be best.

_**XXX**_

Sasuke followed the grey haired medic through the many twists and turns of Orochimaru's Eastern Base he reflected on his plan. It was hastily constructed and poorly thought out… Which, admittedly, was an improvement over how he'd been acting since Itachi's death… but was the best he'd been able to come up with back in Grass Country.

Use Orochimaru's spy network to learn about any differences, and about his old classmates since he honestly knew next to nothing about any of them, and to find ways to gain favour with the masses of Konoha… The reaction when he announced his plan to become Hokage got was telling enough that Sasuke had burned away any political clout he may have had as a child long ago. Better to gain some new influence and good favour by eliminating some of Konoha's enemies, like Danzo and Akatsuki.

"Are you looking to read up on just your old teammates or the cream of Konoha's military power?" Kabuto asked as they entered a large chamber lined with shelf after shelf of scrolls.

"Show me everything on the Village, going as far back as your records stretch." Sasuke growled as he glanced down one of the isles.

"Everything? Most of this goes back over a decade, surely reading up on this won't help much when it comes to predicting the junchurriki's tactics." Kabuto snorted. Turning to say something to Sasuke Kabuto found himself staring straight into a mass of red and black, a crimson starburst with an inverted trio of black spikes focused around the Uchiha's pupil.

Kabuto Yakushi was a skilled shinobi, well trained against standard genjutsu and hypnosis. Unfortunately for him he had only limited experience with the sharingan's distinct form of genjutsu and absolutely no experience dealing with a genjutsu from a mangekyo sharingan. So when he found himself dealing with a sharingan from the pinnacle of the Uchiha dojutsu, the so-called 'Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan', his will faired about as well as a picket fence against a landslide.

"Bring me everything on Konoha and the Akatsuki." Sasuke ordered once he was certain his genjutsu would hold.

While Kabuto quickly and efficiently retrieved reports for him Sasuke set about preparing several storage scrolls, and cursing himself for not putting much effort into fuinjutsu. The basic academy level storage seal had been good enough for carrying what he needed so, apart from the Lightning Flash Blade Creation seals he'd employed to even things out against Itachi's shurikenjutsu, Sasuke had never really bothered expanding his knowledge on the subject.

That was annoying since there was a limit as to how many storage seals he could safely place next to one another on the scroll he had and the amount of data, which needed to be catalogued and stored separately for easy study later, was immense. Working quickly Sasuke employed his sharingan to scan to titles of each scroll to determine how best to store it. Akatsuki – members, associates, locations, most likely order for Bijuu capture etc. – was kept apart from those related to Konoha – His old genin team, himself, his clan, the other graduates from his year, the Hokage, high ranking shinobi etc. – so as to make his study easier later.

"Is there anything else?" Sasuke demanded of the controlled Kabuto.

"No." The medic answered in a dull monotone.

"Good." Was all Sasuke said as he drew his chokuto and beheaded the potential sage. Collecting the storage scroll Sasuke turned and left the archives, stopping at the door just long enough to set a dozen small Amaterasu flames throughout the room.

Accending to the higher levels Sasuke applied a genjutsu to every Oto shinobi he passed, the same genjutsu. A hypnotic suggestion set to trigger a few minutes after he cast it that would make them go berserk and attack everyone else in the base. Orochimaru was going down, again, and sooner than last time.

_**XXX**_

Orochimaru glanced up from the table he was sitting at, carefully set aside the scroll he'd been reading and sighed.

"I expected better from you Sasuke."

Twisting unnaturally fast Orochimaru caught the Uchiha's chokuto, one of the fabled blades of Kusanagi and a gift from the Sannin to his future vessel, and glared at the traitorous teen. Those precious sharingan eyes, the key to achieving his ambition of unravelling the secrets to ninjutsu, narrowed in hate before the smell of burnt ozone and sound of a thousand chirping birds filled the room.

Releasing the blade and back flipping over the desk Orochimaru avoided Chidori's cutting and numbing effects. A flick of his wrist and a dozen serpents launched themselves from his sleeve, venomous fangs bared.

His snakes were engulfed in the Uchiha's Katon jutsu and Orochimaru's sleeve got singed before he could unfasten the snakes from his arm and abandon them to their fate. Glancing at the singed cloth, and the light burns to the flesh beneath, Orochimaru narrowed his eyes in annoyance.

"Katon: Great Fireball Jutsu!" The Uchiha snarled before vomiting out a sphere of superheated chakra larger than Orochimaru was tall.

With a snort Orochimaru made a slicing motion and unleashed a wave of Futon chakra, not even moulded into a jutsu but pure futon, and cut the fireball in half. Bursting through the half-orbs of flames came a pair of Sasuke's each armed with an electrified sword.

Quirking a brow in suppress at this tactic Orochimaru side stepped the first to reach him and kicked out, he knew enough about Sasuke to know the real Uchiha would be in front while his illusionary clone(s) would be further back as a distraction. When 'Sasuke' exploded into a puff of smoke Orochimaru blinked in surprise.

"A Shadow Clone?"

His suppress nearly cost him as the second Sasuke, the real one?, made a move to behead him. Dodging to the side Orochimaru let out a hiss of pain and clutched at his right ear, the lobe of which had been severed by Sasuke's blade.

"Enough of this foolishness." Orochimaru snarled before he began projecting and flucturating his chakra in a specific pattern, the pattern designed to trigger the 'Pain/Compliance' feature of his curse seals. The Sasuke charging towards him let out a gasp of pain and then dissolved in a puff of smoke as well.

Upon seeing this Orochimaru began to gather his chakra. He ignored when another Sasuke burst through the floor behind him and ran him through since he now knew it was all fake. A discovery that was proven true when the word dissolved just before he unleashed a burst of chakra meant to overpower Sasuke's genjutsu.

"Kukukukuku… I take it back Sasuke, I am impressed." Orochimaru chuckled as he turned to face the double doors to his chamber where the Uchiha stood, sword drawn and sharingan spinning slowly. "Had it not been for two small mistakes, and only so close together, I doubt I would have noticed the illusion… You've done very well to hide your skills in genjutsu from me all this time."

"And what mistakes might they be?" Sasuke asked as he stepped fully into the chamber and slipped into kenjutsu stance Orochimaru had not taught him, a strange mix of the style Sasuke had studied and the stance of those samurai from the Land of Iron.

'_Interesting.' _Orochimaru thought to himself, honestly proud of the youngest Uchiha. _'Sasuke has managed to train himself in secret in tactics and fighting styles I haven't allowed him to study… Such a sneaky little student.'_

"Shadow Clones, for starters, are young Naruto's 'signature jutsu'… And given your feelings for the blonde jinchuuriki it is unlikely, no inconceivable, that you would use her technique." Orochimaru explained as a teacher would do while critiquing a student's work, as was the case in a way. "And secondly, the 'clone' reacted to my activation of the Curse Seal… I imagine it was the genjutsu that alerted you to what that unique chakra signal was for, but sadly if failed to inform you that Shadow Clones do not react the same way to a Curse Seal activation as a true human… In fact, since they do not actually have a Curse Seal – but an imitation of one – nothing should have happened."

"Hn… Learn something new every day, don't we." Sasuke snorted.

"Kukukuku… Another mistake, but not one that tipped me off, is that you didn't attack while I was in your genjutsu." Orochimaru went on. "Such a wasted opportunity.

"The point of the genjutsu was to make you waste chakra, which it did." Sasuke drawled as another voice rang out behind Orochimaru.

"And to gauge your actions!"

_**XXXXX**_

_**I'm gonna leave this here, I know it is short but I just finished reading 'Ghost Flowers' by the author '**_**patterns-at-dusk' -**_**it is a fem!Naru/Sasu fic where Sasuke got Naruto pregnant a day or so before he left to join Oto – and its plot, or at least the ideas there, are just plaguing me. In the span of about a day, maybe less when you account for sleep, I developed my own little slant of the basics and now I can't focus on this story at all.**_

_**So I gotta do a purge, I have to write something for this idea so the next thing I post in WNTK will be two (maybe more) scenes from this AU I've developed – specifically a scenes showing Jiraiya, Fem!Naruto and the kid returning to Konoha and speaking to Tsunade [Naruto giving the 'official' story Jiraiya concocted and him then later giving the truth events of his time training Naruto] and the second being Sasuke learning the truth [from Danzo during their battle of all things since the old war-hawk thought it would add a psychological advantage to the battle by revealing that he was the father of Naruto's kid].**_

_**If that kind of stuff is not anything that would interest you I ask, don't say so in the reviews, just ignore the following posting in 'Who Needs The Kyuubi' [which will be chapter 76] and then come back for chapter 77 which hopefully will be more to your liking.**_

_**I'm dyslexic, so please point out any mistakes in spelling or grammar [I spell things the way they do in England and Ireland, so some things may look off to Americans]. Please leave your opinion via review or send them via PM, I'd like to know what you think. Well, I think that's everything I've gotta say so, hope you enjoyed the chapter.**_

_**This is Highvalour saying bye and thanks for reading**_


	76. Inspired by 'Ghost Flowers'

_**So, as the title of this chapter says too, blame 'Ghost Flowers'! I read that fic, and greatly enjoyed it, and now cannot think of or work on any other Naruto based ideas since the basic plot of the story keeps popping into my head.**_

_**The very basics of 'Ghost Flowers' are that a day or so before Sasuke defected to Konoha he and the story's Fem!Naruto made a mistake… A mistake that left her pregnant. Jump ahead to Sasuke killing Danzo [and therefore being completely insane] and we see how things unfold. Why I really liked this story is that it has Naruto struggling under the strain of being a teenage single mother, a shinobi, the jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi, having to constantly put on a brave face, putting the wants of others before her own and raising a child who is more or less a carbon copy of the boy who has tried to kill you and wants to destroy your home.**_

_**It also does a good job of showing Sasuke sinking further and further into the insanity his 'Curse of Hatred' causes. We see the instability and aggression continue to grow throughout the story and Sasuke reaching breaking point. It is well worth the read if you are not opposed to the themes mentioned.**_

_**Anyway since I can't get the plot out of my head, have a rough outline for everything from Shippuden ep 1 straight through to the Fourth Shinobi War in my head, I've decided to purge two scenes but first the backstory [I'm taking the events of the Anime's Land of Tea arc into account here to add some time for events to occur].**_

_**Sasuke recovers from Itachi's Tsukuyomi thanks to Tsunade and is released from hospital. Spends the next few days retreating into himself and training constantly. Naruto gets annoyed at his attitude and goes to see him at a training ground. They end up sparing, which advances into a straight up battle before devolving into a brutal mutual beat-down [I'm talking teeth knocked loose, eyes swollen shut, nails drawing blood that kind of thing].**_

_**In the middle of this brawl a combination of hormones, adrenaline, pent up frustration and kids being stupid meant they… You couldn't even dignify it by saying had sex, they rutted. Afterwards, from a mixture of shame and embarrassment, both agreed to never speak of it again. When word reached Tsunade about the state the pair were in when they arrived at the hospital for treatment she decided to send Team Seven on the Land of Tea mission so they could burn off some of the pent up energy and frustration. From there the anime's plot more or less runs true all the way to the Valley of the End.**_

_**Read, Review, let me know what works and doesn't.**_

_**Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto**_

_**XXXXX**_

_**Scene One: Jiraiya and Naruto return to Konoha [Manga chapter 245]**_

XX Hokage's tower, Konoha: Fire Country XX

Tsunade, the Fifth Hokage of Konoha and granddaughter to the First Hokage, was begrudgingly doing paperwork when a shadow fell across her desk. The silhouette was distinct and one Tsunade was all too familiar with.

"Jiraiya, welcome back." Tsunade said, grateful for the excuse to stop doing paperwork. Glancing up Tsunade was somewhat surprised to see the toad sage alone, last time she checked she had ordered him to bring his 'apprentice' straight to the tower when they returned to Konoha. "Where is she?"

"… Well…" Jiraiya began, reaching up and scratching the back of his head. "… We bumped into Kakashi on our way here and he just had to go all baby crazy over little Karyuu. It was actually kinda cute."

Tsunade could feel a serious headache was on the way and of course she hadn't managed to replace the alcohol Shizune had removed and binned. Rubbing her temples while Jiraiya spent nearly ten minutes covering her office in just about every type of security and privacy seal the sage knew, and considering how much the old perv knew about fuinjutsu that was a lot, Tsunade tried to work out what part of this massive mess she wanted to know about first.

When Jiraiya was finally finished and had dropped into the seat opposite her Tsunade decided on the question when wanted answered first.

_**X**_

XX Maruyake BBQ Restaurant, Konoha XX

"So… Who's the father?" Kakashi asked as he slipped into the seat opposite his sensei's child, and her own child.

"Hehehe… Well… You see…" Naruto chuckled, scratching the back of her neck. "… It's… It's kinda embarrassing but you see…"

"Naruto, I know." Kakashi cut in. "I want to hear the story you'll be telling the others."

"Oh." Naruto said softly. Instead of answering the young blond instead just turned and looked at her son, seeming to become lost in thought until a polite cough from Kakashi snapped her out of it.

"I kinda messed up, not long after we left the village. We'd been on the road for a few weeks and… And we'd stopped near a large town in Grass Country, I think. The Pervy Sage left, I thought it was to peep, and told me to stay in our camp and train." Naruto began, reciting the lie she and Jiraiya had concocted to explain Karyuu's parentage. Better the result of the jinchuuriki getting drunk and bedding some random guy than him being the child of someone who betrayed the Village Jiraiya had explained. "I trained, like all day, and it was hot. So eventually I decided to take a break, because I'd earned five minutes rest, but… Hehe… I'd forgotten to refill my canteen and had nothing to drink. So I went pooching through Jiraiya's bag and found some stuff I mistook for water."

"Oh… Yeah… that'll do it alright." Kakashi agreed, remembering the one and only time he'd ever shared a drink with his sensei's sensei. Tsunade might be the alcoholic of the Sannin, and Orochimaru has most likely rendered him all but immune to every poison known to man and summons, but there was no doubt Jiraiya had the toughest liver and loved the strongest booze.

Any further conversation on the topic of Karyuu's origins was halted as the waiter took their orders. Other than a somewhat surprised double take when he noticed Naruto the waiter made no sign their presence, or more accurately her presence, was anything out of the ordinary.

"It tasted real bad but I had nothing else and so I drank it… And well, I guess it got better after the first few mouthfuls." Naruto admitted as she stared down at Karyuu, who was sitting on the table before her looking around in wonder at the hustle and bustle of the barbecue restaurant. "It didn't help my thirst but the more of it I drank the better things started to seem… Eventually I'd drunk all of the Pervy Sage's booze but I still wanted more so I went into town looking for some more."

"I highly doubt anyone served you." Kakashi snorted, remembering just how strict the drinking age in Grass Country was.

"No, everyone said I was too young… Hehe, so I used the Transformation Jutsu to make myself look older." Naruto said with a proud smile before her face fell. "Unfortunately being drunk means you don't make good decisions."

"That's for sure." Kakashi agreed with a shiver, doing his best to supress some bad memories from his 'wild youth'. Seeing the look Naruto was shooting him, and knowing his student was gonna stop her tale to bug him for details, Kakashi leaned forward. "Karyuu, hey little guy. Wanna something cool?"

Karyuu turned at the mentioning of his name and watched in amazement, letting out ecstatic giggles, as Kakashi pumped raiton chakra into his hand and caused tiny arcs of lightning to dance between his fingertips. While the boy sat mesmerised by the display Kakashi took the time to really study his features.

Short and messy blond hair, that Naruto said was coloured that way via plant extracts harvested on Mount Myoboku and mixed into the boy's shampoo, and tiny whisker like scratches certainly brought his mother to mind. However if one looked closer, and knew what to look for, you could see his father in him. Fairer skin than Naruto and dark eyes, a shade of blue only just lighter than navy, stood out to those who knew the truth.

"So, go on, what happened after you transformed?" Kakashi asked, returning their conversation to its point.

"Oh… Hehe… Well… I…Em…" Naruto stammered, an embarrassed blush creeping across her cheeks. "I, eh, only made myself look about a year or two older."

"You… You only… Ha… haha…. Hahahaahahahaha." Kakashi couldn't help it, he laughed. He laughed so hard tears formed in the corners of his eyes. He laughed with such amusement it was contagious, little Karyuu joining in despite how shy he apparently was meant to be.

"Oh sure laugh it up, I was thirteen and it was my first time drinking… Like you'd have done any better." Naruto pouted, crossing her arms across her chest and glaring. After Kakashi's laugh attack died down, and their food was served, Naruto continued. "So I still wasn't being served and then I bumped into this farmhand, I don't think he was much older than me, who was drunk-"

"This would be, eh, Karyuu's father I take it?" Kakashi interrupted.

"Yeah. He'd just gotten paid and came into town to buy some stuff. He found somewhere that would serve him alcohol even though he was underage but he'd left it for a while and couldn't find it again… Since I was still pretty drunk and really wanted some more I went with him looking and ah-ah Karyuu, Mommy will give you yours once it is cool enough for you to eat."

Looking at the small staring match that formed between child and mother Kakashi wondered if this was what being out with Kushina and a young Naruto, because Minato would have caved instantly Kakashi was sure, would have been like. And suddenly the pleasant and warm happiness he felt watching the scene faded away.

"So you and the farmhand went in search of alcohol and things happened, then what?" Kakashi asked, wanting to replace that sad thought with something.

"farmhand- Ah, yeah." Naruto began before catching herself, having been so caught up in Karyuu that she'd forgotten the story for a moment. "Will by then I'd sobered up just enough to realise what a mista- I mean that I shouldn't be there. I got dressed real quick and took off… Ran into Jiraiya on the outskirts of town."

"There's one thing I don't get." Kakashi began, breaking the silence that had fallen as Naruto had fed Karyuu several small pieces of barbecue. "You're a kunoichi of Konoha, aren't all kunoichi provided contraceptive pills as soon as you graduate?"

"Yeah we are, and let me tell you they were a godsend since it meant no more 'time of the month'." Naruto answered, laughing at how uncomfortable her usually relaxed and in control teacher seemed talking about the pill. "But the ones I was on when… The big bunch I picked up just before leaving Konoha were part of a batch that was recalled since some of them had a contaminant that rendered them inert."

"And it was just bad luck that the pill you'd taken before-" Kakashi began before trailing off.

"… I think of it as a happy accident, I mean I have Karyuu because of it." Naruto replied after a minute just staring at her son. The centre of her world. The one she would do anything for.

_**X**_

XX Hokage's tower, Konoha XX

Tsunade sat in stunned, and horrified, silence as Jiraiya finished the final part of his tale. She'd known parts of it; She'd known how Naruto had lost control of the Kyuubi's chakra while eight months pregnant and gone on a rampage. She knew Jiraiya had nearly died stopping her, he'd even shown the mass of scar tissue that covered the majority of his torso, and she'd know that Naruto had gone into early labour a short time later while recovering on Mount Myoboku but… But…

"I'm sorry, please repeat the last part again… Slower and clearer."

"I had the toads secretly administer a cocktail of herbal extracts and root poisons that forced Naruto into labour two months early." Jiraiya admitted softly. The affect saying those words had on him was shocking. Jiraiya, who was the only one of the Sannin to look close to his actual age, seemed to age decades in a second. Tsunade couldn't help but wonder if their sensei, Hiruzen Sarutobi, had looked that old in the end.

"W-Why?"

"I had too, the seal was going to fail." Jiraiya sighed. "Minato was a genius, mixing years under my tutelage with the centuries of knowledge Kushina had from her homeland made him one of the greatest fuinjutsu practitioners ever… But Naruto's seal was meant to make her a weapon, not a prison."

"And that makes her seal breakdown faster, how?" Tsunade demanded to know. She was trying to keep calm, trying not to scream and rant because Jiraiya had a good reason to do this. He had to, there was no way he would have done it otherwise.

"A seal designed to just imprison a Bijuu, like those used to hold the Kyuubi in your grandmother and in Kushina, are solid. They completely cut off any and all contact between the Bijuu and the vessel." Jiraiya began to explain. "But those meant to weaponise the Bijuu had bridges, links that allow chakra to flow from the Bijuu to the vessel, and those bridges are weak points… As her body directed as much non-vital charka, which the body considers the chakra used to power the seal to be, into the baby to strengthen it the seal weakened. The bridge being like a small hole in some fabric. As the seal grew weaker that point got worse faster."

"What, exactly, happened? How did Naruto lose control?" Tsunade asked, concerned that the weakened seal made Naruto an unintentional danger to the village.

"Fourteen years old and eight months pregnant, Naruto was in no state for any real training so I decided we'd work on some simple chakra control exercises." Jiraiya started. "Well, simple for you or I but not so much for her. She couldn't get it right and started to get frustrated. When I offered advice she snapped she could 'do it alone'… I think she was trying to convince herself about raising the kid more than talking to me… And as she kept failing she got angrier which made the exercises harder for her-"

"Which made her more frustrated I take it?"

"Yeah… One minute she's muttering about handling it alone, the next the Kyuubi's chakra is surrounding her and she's screaming… Ranting and raving as the demon's malevolence infected her." Jiraiya stopped, reaching up and rubbing his eyes. "Then, before I can even get close to suppress the chakra I'm knocked back by four tails forming and the chakra cloak condensing into an armour of blood and darkness. I finally managed to get close enough to slag on a suppression tag just after the sixth tail formed, the Kyuubi's chakra drove her berserk which in turn caused more of the chakra to seep out and made her even worse. Before I passed out I summoned a toad who went and got help."

"If you felt it was absolutely necessary than it had to be done." Tsunade said, trying to comfort the man before her.

"Oh it was necessary, the seal nearly failed during the birth… If I had let the pregnancy run its course there is no doubt the Kyuubi would have escaped." Jiraiya whispered softly, more to himself than to Tsunade. "I done horrible things, we've both committed atrocities in our time… Justified them as necessary evils but this… This one will haunt me until my dying day."

"I'm more than a little surprised that Naruto still travelled and trained with you, I guess she's matured a lot over the last two and a half years." Tsunade laughed, trying to break the tension and negative atmosphere, but the look Jiraiya shot her had her laughter die in her throat. "… What?"

"She doesn't know, she thinks Karyuu's premature birth was caused by the strain drawing on so much of the Kyuubi's chakra caused." Jiraiya admitted with his head in his hands. "She refuses to call on its power and… And I'm too afraid to tell her the truth to get her to do so.

_**XXXX**_

_**So that was the first of the scenes I intend to purge here. It shows but the lie that Naruto will be spreading whenever asked about Karyuu's [which can be translated to mean 'swirling current'] father, since making public knowledge that Sasuke has a kid would be bad [kid would be known as the son of a traitor and such knowledge would possibly attract Orochimaru's attention to the boy]. Karyuu's existence is known to both Oto [Orochimaru mentioned it once to Sasuke to judge his reaction, checking for any lingering feelings for his former comrades] and Akatsuki [although both Obito and Nagato see no reason to target the boy since any attempt to take the kid would most likely mean facing Naruto so why bother with him when they could just go straight for her instead?].**_

_**Naruto's skills and training from Jiraiya are different here as well, due to her unwillingness to use the Kyuubi's chakra. Over the two years she's learned the basics of Futon jutsu and has one skill mastered, Gale Palm, with another nearly useable in battle, Great Breakthrough. Her skills in the use of Shadow Clones and the Rasengan are better as well. Her sloppy taijutsu has also greatly improved via training in Frog Kata, although she lacks the senjutsu training necessary to fully utilise the fighting style.**_

_**XXXXX**_

_**Now for the second scene, where Sasuke learns that the kid Naruto had is his… from Danzo.**_

_**A lot of this still sticks close to canon, since the discovery that he has a son wouldn't really make Sasuke less likely to attack Danzo and Danzo, wanting Sasuke dead, isn't likely to stop fighting after revealing that fact.**_

_**Scene Two: Sasuke Vs. Danzo and Learning the truth [Manga chapter 475 - 486]**_

XX Samurai Bridge; Land of Iron XX

"…Where did you get those eyes on your arm?" Sasuke Uchiha asked, surprisingly calm considering Danzo had just unveiled an arm with nearly a dozen sharingan eyes embedded into it.

"Here and there… It's a long story." Danzo replied as he rubbed his wrist and flexed his fingers.

"Hearing that, just makes me even angrier. But its fine, since I already planned to kill you." Sasuke said, just a slight narrowing of his eyes the only sign he was angry at all. "But first I want to ask you something? Did you and the other elders order Itachi to murder my clan?"

Danzo decided to go no response, the traitor did not deserve an answer, instead he ran through the hand seals of rabbit, boar and ram before charging to engage the teen. His fist, however, failed to make contact as the ethereal bones of Sasuke's Susanoo. Before the Elder could dodge the skeletal arm formed and ensnared him.

"I asked you if it was true!" Sasuke snarled. When Danzo refused to answer Sasuke mentally ordered the Susanoo to squeeze. "Answer me!"

"What do you intend to do to the Village?" Danzo asked, blood running down from the corners of his mouth as Susanoo crushed his internal organs.

"I'll wipe away the shame of the Uchiha, I'll fix the mistakes of the past." Sasuke vowed. "I'll erase that worthless village to ash and dust so my ancestors can rest in peace!"

"…I… I thought better of him." Danzo gasped. "I thought Itachi would have ensured you wouldn't turn on Konoha… But I guess even a genius can't overcome the influence of your cursed blood."

"What are you rambling about old man?" Sasuke wondered aloud.

"That your clan has a long history of killing their own, sibling against sibling and parent against child." Danzo explained, as he searched for an opening in the Susanoo. Somewhere he could target that might allow him to finish the Uchiha off once and for all. "When Itachi did it at least it was for the good of Konoha while your son will die for nothing more than your childish rage!"

"Enough of your empty talk." Sasuke hissed as Susanoo crushed Danzo to pulp. Sasuke would not hear Danzo sully Itachi's name by speaking it and the man's pathetic ramblings about a child showed his senility at mistaking the foolish wishes of schoolgirls for fact.

"Fine… We'll let our eyes do the talking." Danzo said softly before attempting to stab Sasuke in the back with a futon enhanced kunai. When the tip of his kunai snapped off against the ribs of Susanoo Danzo simply raised an eyebrow in impressed surprise. "So it is true, Susanoo is the perfect shield."

With a thought Sasuke ordered his chakra construct to strike. Danzo was dead, Sasuke could see the man's blood mixed in with the debris scattered by Susanoo's strike. But somehow Danzo was still alive, standing atop one of the decretive pillars that marked the centre of the bridge. Sending his Susanoo to attack again Sasuke frantically tried to work out how the old bastard was managing to avoid death via Susanoo.

Seemingly deciding to not suffer Susanoo Death#3 Danzo leap from the pillar to avoid Susanoo's right hook and Sasuke saw a chance. Ascending through the Susanoo Sasuke flooded his left eye with chakra and, taking careful aim, unleashed the destructive power of hell.

"Amaterasu!"

Black flames erupted all along Danzo's unnatural right arm, quickly spreading across his entire body. Landing on the pillar Danzo had dodged from, and allowing the exhausting Susanoo to fade away, Sasuke smugly watched the grave stealer's corpse fall to the ground below.

"Look out!" If it hadn't been for Karin warning him, Sasuke would not have reacted in time. Lunging off the bridge, as diving in any other direction meant taking a futon jutsu to the chest or leaving himself wide open to a counterattack, Sasuke managed to avoid anything worse than a graze to his bicep.

Using the blood from his wound Sasuke summoned the great hawk Garuda. Ignoring the twisted irony of him using the hawks, who Sasuke had planned to once use upon his return to Konoha following his slaying of Itachi, Sasuke began to plan his next move. Of course once Danzo began talking again, Sasuke lost all rational thought and charged. Danzo on the other hand had a plan, which involved catching Sasuke by the throat but was interrupted by Sasuke slashing him with the Sword of Kusanagi the young avenger carried.

Sasuke didn't even bother to check on the Danzo he'd cut down, a suspicion already forming in his mind now that the burst of rage was subsiding, and instead turned to where Danzo had reappeared atop the opposite pillar to before. Locking eyes Sasuke decided to test his theory and cast a genjutsu.

While Danzo was distracted by the illusion of Itachi Sasuke rushed in, planning to run the old bastard through from behind, but found himself frozen in place mere inches from running Danzo through.

"Before, I thought it was just your clan's twisted nature that meant would kill your own son… But now I see the truth." Danzo said softly as Karin rushed to try and help, only to be kicked away without effort. "You don't know, do you? No one ever told you that the brat the Kyuubi jinchuuriki had is of the Uchiha clan."

"Wt?" It was all Sasuke could manage, the seal that had spread across his body making it impossible for him to even speak.

"Yes, I tested the blood against samples from your clan myself and double-checked the results. There is no doubt the boy is from your clan... And somehow I cannot see her ever taking Itachi or Madara over there into her bed." Danzo explained as he plucked Sasuke's sword from his immobilised grip. "That means I owe you my thanks, Sasuke Uchiha. Thanks to you Konoha will retain possession of the sharingan after you are dead… I will personally see to it that the boy's eyes are put to the best possible use!"

Before he could behead Sasuke Danzo was knocked by a wall of chakra and cold malevolence. The skeletal spectre of his Sasuke's Susanoo formed around him and let out a silent scream as muscle fibres and skin grow on the bone, Sasuke's hate fuelling its transformation. All present could only watch on in surprise, shock and a little bit of horror as the transformation did not stop.

The aura of darkness surrounding the Susanoo swelled up and solidified, seeming to devour the demonic warrior construct and form into a monstrous tengu. Only the glowing eyes of Sasuke's Susanoo, visible between the jagged teeth of the tengu, remained to hint at its original form.

From a flickering orb of Amaterasu flames held in a deformed additional arm the monster drew an arrow and loading the enormous shield/crossbow to wore on its left arm. Taking aim, it launched the jet black arrow at Danzo with such force a boom followed its release.

It was only the impossible, a massive tree growing rapidly from Danzo's very body, that managed to deflect the arrow just enough to prevent Danzo being impaled by the shaped flames of Amaterasu.

"S-Sasuke… it's him." Karin whispered in realisation before bellowing at Sasuke. "Sasuke that's the real Danzo, kill him quick!"

Another arrow formed and fired but not fast enough to strike Danzo before he formed the seals of rabbit, boar and ram to reactivate whatever strange jutsu kept him from dying. The arrow hit true, piercing Danzo's chest and igniting his body. Then, Danzo was gone, fading away as another reappeared just as Danzo had been.

Wiping the blood that flowed from his eyes away, Sasuke ignored the agony his body was experiencing from his prolonged usage of this new Susanoo. Droplets of blood sprayed to the ground beneath him as a violent coughing fit racked his body, Sasuke was pushing it he knew… But he needed to hold out a little longer, just a little longer.

Danzo, seemingly having grown tired of the lull in action, charged. Sasuke had Susanoo fire again, and again the burning arrow found its mark, but whatever jutsu Danzo employed rendered the killing blow worthless as the Danzo struck down faded away for another to continue charging. The new Danzo fired off a powerful Futon jutsu that simply broke against Sasuke's Susanoo.

"Summoning Jutsu." Danzo announced, shifting tactics in his attempts to kill Sasuke. The jutsu called forth the Baku, a monstrous tapir that dwarfed both Susanoo and the pillar Sasuke stood upon.

With a deafening roar the tapir began to inhale, created hurricane force winds attempting to draw Sasuke, and everything else, into its mouth. Sasuke was forced to use Susanoo's massive claws to anchor it to the pillar to avoid being devoured by the beast.

Danzo struck, using the creature's suction to increase his own Futon jutsu, and managed to crack the shell of Sasuke's Susanoo for a moment. However, in his rush to end the fight, Danzo failed to account for Sasuke using his clan's signature jutsu, the Great Fireball Jutsu, to attack the tapir. The flames fed on the air being sucked into the beast and grew large enough to nearly engulf the monster. With the pressure relieved Susanoo was free to lash out and strike Danzo with a vicious backhand.

"…Gotta end this…" Sasuke panted as the pain in his body continued to grow. Deciding to trade power for relief Sasuke mentally commanded Susanoo to shrink, all the armour and flesh fading until just its initial skeletal form remained… But even that wasn't enough. Sasuke collapsed, vomiting up blood and bile while his Susanoo flicked and threatened to fail completely. "… Huh…. Huh… Huh… Soon those eyes of yours will close Danzo, and then your jutsu is over…"

"Dammit, you know about Izanagi?!" Danzo cursed. Sasuke didn't reply, just smirked and lunged down.

He managed to land a fatal blow with Susanoo before being forced to drop the jutsu completely or face passing out. When Danzo attempted an attack, perhaps believing the jutsu had failed on its own, Sasuke used the kunai and shuriken stored within his Lightning Flash Blade Creation seals to strike several vital organs. Glancing at Danzo Sasuke smirked coldly before forming a blade of raiton chakra and charging.

"Fool." Danzo hissed as he coated a kunai in futon chakra. There was still one sharingan open on his arm, he couldn't loose. Danzo charged confident in victory.

_**X**_

Not for the first time Karin found herself regretting her limited practical experience in the shinobi arts. Sure she was a skilled sensor, with a potential range nearly twice that of anyone else Orochimaru had ever recruited, and could heal others by transferring her chakra into them but her ability to fight was severely limited to… Well to relying on others to protect her.

This habit of hiding behind others during fights most likely explains why she wasn't fast or strong enough to keep Danzo from capturing her as a human-shield between himself and Sasuke.

"S-Sasuke… help me!" Karin begged. When Sasuke smiled and told her not to move, she thought she was safe… Then Sasuke's sharingan formed and…

The sound of chirping birds!

Sasuke had shot Danzo with his Chidori Spear right through her. The 'Darkness of Shinobi' reflexively slackened his grip on her, allowing her to stagger and fall. As she fell Sasuke rushed past, hand wrapped in the power of the Chidori, and struck. His raiton coated appendage tore through Danzo's face and obliterated most of the man's head.

"Sasuke! Get away from Danzo!" Madara's voice rang out and suddenly Karin was being jerked back and across the bridge and dumped, unceremoniously, on the ground. A sudden pulse of… Something… occurred behind them and then Madara was standing above them, glaring down at her.

"Are you just going to lie there?"

"W-Wha?" Karin gasped.

"Sasuke's genjutsu was weak, Danzo snapped out of it barely a second after he twitched." Madara growled down at her. "Now get up, finish healing him as best as you can."

Squinting up at Madara, both to show her distrust of him and because her glasses fell off when Danzo dropped her, Karin slowly pushed herself up onto her knees and looked around. A blur lying against the low wall that marked the edge of the bridge had Sasuke's chakra signature, barely, was to her right.

"Karin..." Sasuke whizzed as he pushed himself up into a proper sitting position and leaned his head back against the wall. "… Did… Did Danzo lie? Did you see anything in his chakra… During the fight… That makes you think he was lying?"

"Wha… What?" Karin asked in disbelief. Sure, a skilled sensor could read the chakra of someone they knew and tell a truth from a lie… But that took a long time spent learning how the person's chakra acted when they weren't lying before they could spot the fluctuations that signalled a lie. She didn't know Danzo's chakra well enough to tell fact from fiction. "I… I can't say, I wasn't looking for that. I was too busy trying to work out how that jutsu, Izanami or something, worked."

"Do you think he lied." Sasuke asked. "Just answer."

"… No… I don't know what he said to you, I was too far away to hear properly, but I didn't sense any changes in his chakra not linked with his jutsu." Karin admitted softly.

"Let's go Sasuke, you look like you need to rest." Madara chuckled softly as he took a grip of Karin's shoulder and reached for Sasuke.

"No." Sasuke said as he knocked Madara's hand away. "I… I just need some time… to catch my breath… A-After the fight."

"… Fine." Madara sighed. "I'm going to take Danzo's body away, don't want anyone harvesting the First's cells from him and copying the mokuton… Shame you destroyed Shuisui's eye, it could have been useful."

"Yeah… Shame." Sasuke replied emotionless.

"I'll be back once I have his body secured and have contacted Zetsu." Madara told them before turning to Karin. "Make sure he's as healed as possible. He used his eyes too much in that fight and is at serious risk of losing his sight… Hopefully your unique chakra can stave off his blindness, at least a bit."

And with that, Madara was gone. Karin tried, a few times, to convince Sasuke to bite her and recover more of his strength but the young Uchiha was drained both physically and mentally. He didn't care and instead just rested his head in his hands.

"Sasuke listen…" Karin said after an unknown length of time silent. "… During the fight, I hea-"

"Sasuke!" A voice rang out, cutting off Karin and causing Sasuke to look up.

"…Sakura?" Sasuke said slowly as he rose and turned to stare at the source of the voice. Karin began to rise as well but Sasuke waved her off, silently telling her to stay down. "What are you doing here?"

"I… I've come to abandon Konoha and join you!" This 'Sakura' called out as she slowly began approaching. "L-Like I offered to do, the night you left."

"You'll gain nothing following me." Sasuke pointed out. "What are you planning?"

"Nothing… I, I just have always regretted not going with you that night." Sakura admitted before jumping high and across some kind of gap in the bridge. "Please, I'll do anything to prove it… I don't want anymore regrets."

"I'm going to destroy Konoha… Can you bring yourself to kill your own family?" Sasuke asked, no emotion in his voice.

"… Y-Yes… If it means being with you…" Sakura confessed.

"Prove your worth… Karin was injured helping to take down Danzo, heal her." Sasuke ordered.

"Right." Sakura agreed before brushing past Sasuke and crouching down next to Karin.

Karin looked up at the pink topped blur before her as Sakura reached into her cloak. Karin was trying to focus on everything; the girl's tone, her movements, her chakra and her voice. She didn't understand it, the girl was lying but Sasuke wasn't reacting to these obvious, even to the near blind girl, signs.

A movement, a steel grey blur and Karin opened her mouth to warn Sasuke… But the words were drowned out by the chirping of birds.

**_X_**

XX Forest In the Land Of Iron – Five Minutes Later XX

Naruto pushed herself as hard as she could, burning through the Natural Energy that sustained her Sage Mode. She could sense Sakura and Kakashi-sensei up ahead alongside two other unknown chakra signatures. One of which was so cold and so laced with malice Naruto wondered what on earth could be the source.

Emerging from the forests Naruto found herself atop a high ridge overlooking a small valley. Running along the river below was Kakashi-sensei, he was trying to make it to Sasuke and Sakura.

Sasuke had Sakura by the neck and was pulling his hand back to stab with a kunai held in it.

"No." Naruto gasped before every ounce of Natural Energy was burned up racing down to save her friend. "Gah!"

Sasuke's kunai may not have found its mark, Sakura, but it had caught Naruto and cut a gash that run from elbow to shoulder. Looking back at Sasuke Naruto watched as he pivoted and struck Kakashi-sensei full force in the face.

"Dammit, the poison." Sakura gulped as she freed herself from Naruto's grasp and moved to circle around Sasuke.

"Sasuke! What are you doing!?" Naruto roared, trying to distract him from Kakashi-sensei.

"You." Sasuke snarled as he twisted, tossing the weakened and beaten jonin aside as he did so.

Sasuke did not look good. Blood stained the left side of his face. Bags had formed under his eyes and he was breathing heavily, two signs Naruto recognised as belonging to chakra exhaustion. He had blood stained cuts littering his top and faint burn marks on his hand. For lack of a better description, Sasuke looked like hell.

"Hello Naruto, been a long time." Sasuke said softly, wave upon wave of killing intent radiating off his body. "Anything you'd like to share?"

"Wha-?" Naruto spluttered, the contradiction between his tone and the overwhelming desire to hurt her he was radiating was so disconcerting that Naruto's mind went blank for a minute.

"No…? That's fine, Danzo told me enough… Everything really." Sasuke laughed softly, so disconnected from the rage Naruto could practically taste coming off him. "He told me about how Konoha plans to reclaim the sharingan, a dojutsu IT ALL BUT DESTORYED, using… And this is the kicker… My blood."

"Your blood… What are you-?" Naruto began before realisation hit her. Karyuu was Sasuke's son, his blood. Sasuke knew! "Sasuke listen, I-"

"Save it! I know everything!" Sasuke screamed as arcs of raiton chakra darted between his fingers. "Danzo told me everything, how Konoha is going to reclaim my clan's kekkei genkai. Well I'm here to say no! I will not allow Konoha to possess the sharingan! I'll burn the pathetic cesspool to the ground, I'll kill everyone there… I'll erase everything that stands to dust!"

"S-Sasuke… You can't… You can't mean that!" Naruto yelled. This couldn't be Sasuke, couldn't be the first person her own age to acknowledge her. The person before her couldn't be her friend, couldn't be the father to her son.

"Oh, don't worry Naruto..." Sasuke chuckled as a Chidori so intense it began to burn away at his own hand formed. "You won't live to see my come for the boy!"

With an animalistic scream Sasuke charged.

_**XXXXX**_

_**And I think I'll leave this scene here. That ending implies a lot more than what I originally had. To me it carries more of Sasuke's insanity, and anger at the truth, then my first idea.**_

_**For anyone who is curious about Sasuke vs Kakashi/Sakura; Sasuke dazed Sakura with a punch to the side of the head and knocked her off the bridge, Kakashi went after her and Sasuke dropped down after telling Karin to stay out of sight. During the fight Sasuke got the poisoned kunai from Sakura and managed to nick Kakashi with it.**_

_**As for why Naruto didn't tell Sasuke back in Grass Country re: Karyuu is because one of the main reasons to keep the link a secret was to avoid Orochimaru taking an interest in the boy. So Naruto didn't feel like it would be a good idea to shout out the truth in one of Orochimaru's bases.**_

_**.**_

_**.**_

_**Said it before, saying it again, if the basic plot of 'Ghost Flowers' is something you'd like to read then go do so. It is in my favourite stories list and well worth the read I think**_

_**Anyway, please give feedback [spelling/grammar mistakes are welcome as long as you remember my style of English is Hibernia-English which may be slightly different to you own.] I'd really like to know what people think of these scenes, they've been torturing me that much I can only hope they turned out good.**_

_**This is Highvalour saying cheers for reading my work.**_


	77. Team Nightmare Teaser

_**Not a proper update, more of a teaser for Team Nightmare.**_

_**Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto**_

_**Fullmetal Alchemist belongs to Hiromu Arakawa**_

_**Devil May Cry belongs to Capcom**_

_**Venom belongs to Marvel Comics**_

_**XXXXX**_

XX Chunin Exam Stadium Kage Observation Box; Konoha, Fire Country XX

Twisting to avoid the kunai launched by Tobirama Senju, the fabled Second Hokage of Konoha, Sakura Haruno tensed and prepared. Acting too soon would give it away so she had to time her strike just right and –

"There!" She snarled, her symbiotic other reverberating her voice into something monstrous, and twisted. Her fist connected with Tobirama's jaw and reduced his head and neck to dust, as a blow from something capable of lifting over twenty metric tonnes would do.

The rest of the revived Kage was flattened when Sakura dodged a mass of tendril like branches generated by the legendry First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, ploughed into him. Back flipping clear of the mass of chakra controlled wood Sakura turned and snarled at the zombie. She'd come here to fight that weirdo from the Forest of Death, not the predecessors of the guy who signed her pay checks!

"Hey ANBU!" Sakura growled as she evaded a blast of pressurised water from the reformed zombie!Second.

"Huh?!" The boar masked ANU grunted, he'd taken a glancing blow from Orochimaru's magic sword and was trying to stem the bleeding.

"The Third said something about sealing these guys, know how?" Sakura asked before swinging in and yanking him out of the way of a tree root.

"Yeah… But its worthless if they aren't trapped within a container of some kind." The ANBU explained once Sakura dropped him. "The seal makes the container impossible for those trapped within to break… But how do we trap them?"

"Leave that to Us, just be ready." Sakura told him as the 'lips' on her mask parted to reveal a row of truly terrifying fangs.

**X**

XX Streets of Konoha; Konoha, Fire Country XX

The grounds beneath them shattered as hundreds upon hundreds of spikes ripped forth, skewering the shinobi caught in the attack. Naruto Uzumaki would was somewhat surprised, such an attack was something of a standard tactic for him via his alchemy but what he was looking at appeared to be formed from calcium and phosphorous, in other words –

"Bones?"

Tightening his grip on his spear Naruto looked past the bloody mass of spikes to find a white haired boy, maybe a little older than he was, with his palms firmly planted on the ground. The boy really seemed to be into body art, seeing as how much of his visible flesh was decorated with tattoos. Thick black lines, forming a kind of maze like pattern, covered his face and hands. Those on his chest all seemed to originate from a trio of slightly curved lines located just over the boy's breastbone.

"You… You oppose Lord Orochimaru." The boy grunted as he pulled one of the bones in his forearm out and gripped it like a sword. "I will not allow you to continue!"

**X**

XX Forest Surrounding Konoha; Fire Country XX

"… Really?" Sasuke deadpanned as Kankuro revealed his two puppets and adapted a defensive stance. "I'm here to fight the big, bad Bijuu… Not some stupid puppets."

**XXXXX**

_**Like I said, not an update. I'm hoping to get the next chapter of Team Nightmare out this month, but I'm not committing to that – Real Life is being hectic at the moment.**_


	78. Team Nightmare: Chaotic Crush Pt 1

_**Well this is late, I had kinda promised those who reviewed the teaser that it'd be up before January ended but… Fuck it real life took priority. Here it is, the beginning of the end as Team Nightmare deal with the 'Konoha Crush' – Starting with Sakura.**_

_**Read, Review, let me know what works and what works not.**_

_**Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto**_

_**Fullmetal Alchemist belongs to Hiromu Arakawa**_

_**Devil May Cry belongs to Capcom**_

_**Venom belongs to Marvel Comics**_

_**XXXXX**_

XX Forest Surrounding Konoha; Fire Country XX

Leaping from tree to tree Sasuke hummed a jaunty tune and searched for any sign of the Suna shinobi sibling team's location. He was starting to regret calling this one, sure he'd be facing a Bijuu but if he'd gone after the snake asshole or the invading army at least he wouldn't be bored.

Spotting movement ahead Sasuke drew Ebony and Ivory and let off a few shots – not to hit anything but to announce his presence.

"Shit, go and get Gaara to the ritual site… I'll hold him off." The face paint wearing weirdo called out to the blonde as he turned to face Sasuke down.

"Kankuro -" The blonde began only to be interrupted by the psychotic redhead.

"Finish him quick Uchiha… I want the pleasure of ripping you apart and I don't want to wait." After revealing his complete lack of anything resembling faith in his teammate the ginger fruitcake took off, the blonde following after a second or two of hesitation.

"… Really?" Sasuke deadpanned as Kankuro revealed his two puppets and adapted a defensive stance. "I'm here to fight the big, bad Bijuu… Not some stupid puppets."

XX Chunin Exam Stadium Kage Observation Box, Konoha XX

Scaling the walls of the stadium Sakura made it to the roof where, if the giant glowing purple box was any indication, shit was going down. Looking from the giant glowing box to the four gathered ANBU and back Sakura felt they had to ask a very important question.

"Why aren't you helping the Hokage?"

"Holy FuckNuggets!" One of the ANBU yelped, having only heard third-hand accounts of the Pre-Lims and Sakura's other.

"That's the Four Violet Flames Barrier Formation." The ANBU in a Captain's pale cloak explained, his age and experience allowing him to hide his own shock at the symbiote's monstrous form and hold off his questions for the time being. " None of us have the kind of power needed to shatter it."

"That's right losers!" A pink haired girl on the far side of the barrier yelled out. "So you ANBU trash and the skank can clear out, no way you're getting in!"

"Skank?!" Sakura growled lowly.

"Yeah, skank!" The pink haired Oto nin replied. "Look at you, running around in that skin tight spandex… Actually, is it even spandex or did you just slap on some body paint and decide to run around naked?"

"… We're gonna enjoy hurting you." Sakura hissed before approaching the barrier and inspecting it. Turning to the gathered ANBU team, and ignoring the further insults from the pink haired bitch, Sakura smirked. "Follow us."

Turning to look at their commander the other ANBU waited for his order. Glancing from the barrier, which kept him from fulfilling his mission of protecting the Hokage, to the ledge of the roof where Sakura had dropped off he face palmed.

"… Why didn't I think of that?" The Commander sighed before ordering his men to follow.

"Hey Asshole, you really think you're gonna get through our barrier?" The Oto kunoichi yelled. "Ha! As if, we are the Sound Four! Lord Orochimaru's personal bodyguards. You have no chance of breeching this barrier!"

"Don't have to breech it, just have to bypass it." The Commander chuckled as the roof beneath the kunoichi's feet exploded and a pair of jet black clawed hands shot up.

"Peek-a-boo!" Sakura roared as she caught a grip of the foul mouthed kunoichi and dragged her down into the tower proper.

The barrier soon collapsed, the other ANBU having targeted the three other casters, and allowed both ANBU and genin to rush forward to assist the Hokage.

_**X**_

"What?! Oh crap not you again!" Orochimaru yelped.

"Is that… Is that the crest of the Tsuchigumo clan?" The revived Hashirama Senju asked as he watched the approaching Konoha reinforcements.

"Maybe, if it is then it means Monkey was a good choice as successor to get them as our allies." His brother and successor Tobirama supplied before both had their will suppressed by Orochimaru.

"Kill It!" Orochimaru ordered as he drew the Sword of Kusanagi and prepared for battle. "I'll kill you personally Sensei, the Hokage can warm up on that freak you planted in Kakashi's team."

"… Hahahaha." Despite the seriousness of the situation, despite the risk he faced, Sarutobi couldn't help but laugh at what Orochimaru's actions revealed. "You're afraid of a genin!"

"N-no, I just realised the pleasure of killing the Hokage should be mine alone." Orochimaru claimed, trying to cover himself. "I-I just want to make sure that I preformed the Impure World Resurrection correctly on them, that they are at full power for when I use them to destroy Konoha!"

Deciding to kill his former sensei quick, lest the old man mock him any further in his hour of triumph, Orochimaru adjusted his grip on the Kusanagi Blade and rushed forward. His attempted beheading of the Hokage was countered by one of the ANBU, parrying the swing with his ninjato. Twisting aside to avoid the counter attack Orochimaru was forced to disengage to avoid being brained by his sensei's Adamantine Staff – stupid transformed monkey – Orochimaru decided he'd had enough of being on the defensive and attacked.

Using the Wild Water Wave jutsu, combined with several of his own body's unique modifications – primarily the ones that allowed his saliva glands to generate a variety of venoms and poisonous compounds – to impersonate a spitting cobra.

"Okay… That's just vile." One of the ANBU groaned as another frantically threw off his cloak and chest plate before Orochimaru's attack ate through the material and got at him.

"Kukukuku, well there's more to come my little Ox-faced foe." Orochimaru cackled before extending his tongue and running it along the blade, coating the legendary weapon in his lethal saliva… of course the whole menacing appearance thing was ruined when that black suited little monster dropped down in front of him and then darted off to the side, startling Orochimaru and causing him to cut himself on his sword.

Before he could curse his zombified minions for failing to kill her Orochimaru's thought process was halted by a single query. _"Why am I suddenly in the shade?'_

_**X**_

Sakura clicked their tongue in frustration as Orochimaru just about managed to avoid being crushed by Hashirama's Mokuton attack, they'd been trying to set up that little bit of 'friendly fire' for over a minute.

Looking to where Tobirama was pulling himself together following their last attack, literally since they'd ripped off both arms and caked his head in webbing, Sakura would have been skewered had her 'Other' not provided optical input as an alert.

"Dammit, nothing seems to stop them for long." Sakura growled before launching two thick lines of webbing to stick Hashirama's hands together, and stop him using that bloody annoying wood jutsu of his.

Ducking under a roundhouse kick from Tobirama Sakura silently thanked whatever it was that made the revived Kage so slow in their movements and sluggish in their attacks. Launching a quick jab Sakura yelped as Tobirama caught their wrist and twisted, tossing the symbiotic pair across the rooftop – Slow and Sluggish didn't mean unskilled.

Recovering mid-air and landing in a crouch Sakura began to plot a strategy, formulate some kind of plan, to finish these walking corpses once and for all. And, as is _always_ the case for those blessed with luck, just happened to catch the tail end of a mocking comment by Orochimaru at his old teacher.

"- do sensei, summon the Shinigami to seal them?" The freaky snake guy laughed as he dodged a lunging strike by a Boar masked ANBU agent, swiping the ANBU's kunai and using it to carve a deep gash along the man's upper arm.

"… That's why I went with Minato once Jiraiya turned down the position of Hokage, you never truly understood what it really meant to be Hokage." Old man Sarutobi sighed. "And yes, if it comes to it I will seal them using the Shinigami!"

"_Interesting." _Sakura thought as Hashirama rushed forward to attack. Pushing off from the roof Sakura sailed right over the Kage's head and, after jamming their hand into said Kage's mouth as they went overhead, ripped the upper portion of the Village's founder's head clean off. Tossing the quickly decaying mass of flesh at Tobirama before rushing forward, dodging kunai Sakura launched a pair of thick sticky strands of webbing and used them to pull themselves forwards.

Catching the suiton using Kage square in the chest Sakura knocked Tobirama over and, perching atop the revived man's chest, began to pound on his face and upper body until nothing but dust and ash remained.

"Watch your Six!" The ANBU Captain growled before a torrent of intense flames incinerated a mass of Hashirama's roots before they could crush Sakura.

"… Thanks Dad." Sakura sighed as she jumped off Tobirama's battered form to land beside him. "…Was planning to use those roots to further damage the walking corpse… Nice going."

"Sure you did." Kizashi Haruno snorted, breaking one of the ANBU's core rules and acknowledging his identity while in costume. "Any ideas?"

"The old man mentioned sealing them via Shinigami… Any idea how to do that?" Sakura asked as Tobirama slowly reformed and Hashirama readied another attack.

"Yeah… But let's leave that as a last resort okay, your mother would kill me if I died today." Kizashi said.

"Oh right, happy anniversary."

"Thank you, now if only I could find a way to restrain them long enough to slap some suppressing seals on them." Kizashi sighed. "That would weaken and hold them long enough for us to deal with Orochimaru and get them somewhere safe."

"We can restrain them, do you want to go for 'Woody' or the 'Water Boy' first?" Sakura shrugged, sidestepping in the same motion to avoid a kunai from Tobirama 'Water Boy' Senju.

"Hashirama Senju -" Kizashi began, stressing the former Kage's full name to remind his daughter to show some respect – That teammate of hers was proving to be a real bad influence. "- is one of the two strongest shinobi this village has ever called its own… But Tobirama could prove even more dangerous if he begins to employ his earlier incarnation of the Hiraishin jutsu, or those theoretical jutsu especially designed for use while under the Impure World Resurrection jutsu, we could be in serious trouble. "

"So we deal with Tobirama first then." Sakura shrugged. "Distract Hashirama and we'll swap out when 'Tobi' is down for the count.

"Wait… Must get it from her mother." Kizashi grumbled before drawing his tanto and facing off against the First Hokage, a daunting task indeed. Deciding, for poetic sake, to start off with an old Uchiha technique he'd picked up years ago Kizashi channelled katon chakra into his sword before swinging it in a cutting motion to launch a wave of intense flames forward.

Hashirama's reaction was to create a barrier of wood to intercept the flames, exactly like Kizashi hoped for. A half dozen kunai, each with a high powered explosive tag, followed the flames and on detonation turned the wooded barrier into a barrage of splinters and shrapnel!

While Kizashi faced down the first Hokage the Second Hokage was struggling against Sakura. Without another to force his opponent to divide their attention, and with his will and personality suppressed, Tobirama was being overpowered by the speed and power Sakura's 'Other' granted. Reactions, and flexibility, well above anything human made landing blows difficult while Sakura's close range fighting style prevented him from getting the needed space –and therefore time – necessary to pull the water vapour from the air and magnify it with his chakra to a useable level.

All Tobirama had access to was his saliva, which wasn't much good against someone who can react to and dodge projectiles traveling at speeds well above his 'spit bullets' and only served to annoy Sakura.

"That's it!" Sakura snarled before letting out a spray of sickly green saliva. "You wanna spit, we'll spit right back!"

While Tobirama avoided the spray, which began eating away at the roof slates, a glob of impact webbing caught him in the face gave him pause. Three more, while Tobirama was trying to claw the webbing from his face, gummed up his hands and feet. From there it was a simple job of circling him and quickly firing off enough webbing to cocoon the revived Kage. Stopping to think for a second Sakura ripped up a roof tile and stuck it to the outside of the cocoon, wouldn't do for Kizashi to try and seal the Second Hokage only to get himself stuck to the cocoon as well… Speaking of Kizashi.

"Gah… Dammit!"

Turning Sakura watched as Kizashi tried to put as much distance between himself and Hashirama, all the while clutching at his chest over a section of armour that was heavily cracked and damaged.

"Tag!" Sakura snarled as their fist collided with the side of Hashirama's head, knocking him back several feet.

"Thanks… You trap the Second?" Kizashi whizzed.

"Yep, go seal him and we'll deal with this." Sakura replied before catching a grip of Kizashi and tossing him out of the way of Hashirama's attack. "We got this!"

"Aaagh." Kizashi groaned as he landed, and jostled his damaged ribcage. Making his way towards the cocooned Kage, and giving the bubbling puddle of green gunk that was steaming and slowly eating into the roof, Kizashi began the long and complicated sequence of hand seals necessary to perform the fuinjutsu.

Sakura Haruno might have been the worst possible opponent for Hashirama Senju in his current state. Not only were they fast and agile, but their very fighting style was specifically suited to fighting on multiple parallel and perpendicular levels –never mind the stealth capabilities from being able to mimic their surroundings – and the fabled village leader was being pressed hard… Never mind that every mass of twisted roots created to skewer them was a mass their could literally disappear behind while every giant tree formed to crush or entrap them just provided Sakura with more terrain to scurry across.

Although, to his credit, he was doing better than his brother. At least in that he was able to dodge some of Sakura's attacks and launch counterattacks – Not that many worked against someone who can see out of any part thanks to the inky black substance that served as their second skin.

"You're boring us, just give up." Sakura sighed as they ducked under a quick jab and countered with a leg sweep.

Dodging the volley of wooden stacks that had been launched from Hashirama's forearm Sakura fired off two thick strands of webbing which Hashirama dove aside to avoid, which was pointless since he wasn't the target.

"Timber!" Sakura roared as their pulled on the strands and brought a pair of the smaller trees Hashirama had created down on top of him.

Not thinking for a second that was enough to get him Sakura took off, just narrowly avoiding the massive tree that erupted beneath where they'd been standing. Web swinging up into the thick foliage created by Hashirama's careless silviculture Sakura mimicked the area around them and vanished from sight.

Slowly creeping along a particularly thick branch Sakura watched as Hashirama fruitlessly tried to spot them. Smirking they slowly positioned themselves above Hashirama before launching several strands of webbing down, catching Hashirama by the head and arms – meaning when he was pulled up off his feet he looked like a frantically trashing marionette.

Dropping down Sakura began cocooning but soon found that the older Senju brother was far harder to trap. Wooden spikes, thicker than their arm, erupted from the cocoon constantly forcing them to use more and more webbing. Tighter and tighter they wrapped, slowly compressing the revived Kage until the cocoon was barely big enough to contain Sakura… Which meant Hashirama Senju, legendary shinobi and co-founder of the first Shinobi Village, was little more than a mass of dust and mushed body parts.

"Hurry up, we don't know how long this'll hold him!" Sakura yelled.

"Coming." Kizashi yelled back as he stopped to slice a chunk of bark off a tress, wouldn't do to get himself stuck to whatever the hells it was his daughter had used to cocoon the Kage in –speaking of which, they'd be having a long talk about what happened here later.

"Took your time." Sakura snorted once Hashirama was sealed properly.

"Three broken ribs, five more cracked and a collapsed lung… I'd like to see you do better." Kizashi snapped. "Now come on, let's go help the Lord Hokage against Orochimaru."

"Sure, wonder how the other two are doing?" Sakura wondered as they web swung towards the sound of metal clashing and frustrated bitching.

_**XXXXX**_

_**So, about Kizashi, just thought it'd be funny to try and do the casual father/daughter dialogue [which probably turned out bad] here while Sakura was facing down the Zombie!Kage… As for making him a member of the ANBU, Road to Ninja!Kizashi [which Kishimoto was involved in] was good enough to get chosen as Hokage, his Team Nightmare counterpart therefore is good enough to make it as an ANBU Captain.**_

_**I have a small 'news' section on my profile now that details what's happening with my fics [for WNTK and Chaos In the Cosmos it'll mainly explain what the chapter is, so if you only like certain plots you can check there before reading] while with the others stories it explains how far along I am in writing or why I'm not writing a chapter for that story at the moment. Use it if it helps, ignore it if not.**_

_**I'm dyslexic, so please point out any mistakes in spelling or grammar [I spell things the way they do in England and Ireland, so some things may look off to Americans]. Please leave your opinion via review or send them via PM, I'd like to know what you think. Well, I think that's everything I've gotta say so, hope you enjoyed the chapter.**_

_**This is Highvalour saying bye and thanks for reading**__**.**_


	79. Displaced CH4

_**More from the Displaced plot bunny [the one where Canonish!Sasuke is plucked and dumped into a Fem!Naruto AU].**_

_**Read, Review, let me know what works and doesn't.**_

_**Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto**_

_**XXXXX**_

XX Orochimaru's Eastern Base; Otherwise Uninhabited Island North of Water Country XX

To say that Orochimaru, snake themed third of the Sannin and founder of the 'Village' Hidden in the Sound, was a paranoid fruitcake who prioritised keeping his research out of other's hands above preserving either the research itself, the subjects said research was gathered from or the mass of servants who oversaw said subjects was not quite accurate… Because it failed to convey just how little Orochimaru cared about subjects and researchers – the hundreds of explosive tags hidden in the very walls of his base as a final failsafe showed that!

Or at least, that's what Suigetsu thought as he oozed his way up through the gaps in the rubble that those explosive tags had reduced the Base too. Slowly reforming himself into a solid form Suigetsu shut his eyes and winced in the near blinding light – how long had he been locked in that dank, dark lab?

Shielding his eyes, and turning his back to the sun, Suigetsu scanned the rubble that once was his prison.

"… Huh."

Still shielding his eyes Suigetsu turned southward and stared longingly at the northernmost island of Water Country, a spec on the horizon. He was free, the blast and smoke from the base's destruction would surely have caught attention from the mainland and he'd soon be home. Home the triumphant hero who'd weathered years as a prisoner of Orochimaru –resisting all attempts to extract any information that could be used against Kiri – who escaped and destroyed the base the Sannin was clearly planning to launch an invasion from.

"Hehehe, oh yeah… This'll be good."

Setting off towards the shoreline Suigetsu drew up short when the sounds of rubble shifting came from behind. Turning slowly, in disbelief that anyone other than himself could have survived that massive chain of explosions –never mind the entire base collapsing – Suigetsu watched in wide eyed shock as a gigantic claw of grey-blue chakra burst free from beneath the rubble. Another claw followed and then the giant charka monster was pulling itself free from the wreckage.

"O-Oh shit! Is that one of Orochimaru's experiments?" Suigetsu shrieked before liquefying himself and hiding the rubble.

As the ghostly demon rose it began to fade away, 'skin' flaking away to reveal the horned skeleton beneath. Before the monster fully faded someone leapt from the hole it had formed. Rising from a crouch was a bloodied and already beginning to bruise Sasuke Uchiha.

Squinting in the bright light, and taking several deep breaths of clean air, the Uchiha made his way over to where Suigetsu was hidden.

"Come out Suigetsu, I know you're there." Sasuke ordered loudly.

"Huh, how'd you know?" Suigetsu asked as he rose up and reformed.

"Water doesn't normally glow with chakra like you do." The Uchiha replied a little louder than would be normal, maybe the blast had left him temporally hard of hearing.

"Suppose so." Suigetsu shrugged as he reached up to scratch beneath his chin. "So… Finally did it eh? Finally went and killed old Orochimaru… But you shouldn't be cocky; lots of us wanted him dead. You just had a better chance, since you were his favourite and could get close."

"Orochimaru is still alive." Sasuke said quieter than before. "I played my hand too soon, he detonated the base and escaped."

"O-Orochimaru is still alive?!" Suigetsu yelped, frantically scanning the area as if he expected the mad snake to spring up and go 'BOO!'

"Yeah… But he'll be long gone, to lick his wounds and run damage control." Sasuke answered as he checked a scroll tucked into his belt.

"Damage control… You mean replace everything he lost here?" Suigetsu gulped before turning around and purposefully striding towards the shore. "Well if that's the case, see you around Uchiha and good luck surviving Orochimaru's wrath."

I think he'll be too busy keeping Oto from rebelling to come after me for the time being." Sasuke chuckled as he appeared in front of Suigetsu, blocking the white haired nin's way. "Now… I have a proposal you may want to hear."

"No thanks, I'm outta here." Suigetsu snorted, sidestepping the Uchiha and liquefying himself to disappear into the ocean.

"Shame." Sasuke said simply. "But before you go, tell me… Is there a specific address I should mail the blades of Momochi and Hoshigaki too?"

"Wha?"

"I'll be passing Momochi's grave on my way to my next destination, and Kisame Hoshigaki is a member of the Akatsuki… I figured Kiri might want two of its swords back." Sasuke explained before shrugging and setting off, passing Suigetsu and walking out to sea.

"Whoa, whoa hold up a minute." Suigetsu said in a false cheery tone catching up to Sasuke and draping an arm across the raven's shoulder. "I understand you were part of the team that took down Old-Man Zabuza, so I can understand knowing where he's rotting, but what's this about Kisame?"

"Kisame is part of the Akatsuki, I intend to destroy the Akatsuki." Sasuke explained as he continued to walk, shrugging off Suigetsu's arm as he moved on. "More than that, he is the traveling companion to my Brother Itachi… This means I'll cross paths with him sooner rather than later."

"What was that proposal you mentioned earlier?" Suigetsu asked in interest.

"Follow me, fight alongside me and I will help you find Kiri's missing blades." Sasuke replied, looking over his shoulder to fix the Hozuki with a piercing stare. "That is your dream, right? To recover the swords and lead the next generation of the Seven Swords?"

"Dammit." Suigetsu growled as Sasuke continued to walk westwards, away from Water Country and towards Fire Country. Looking from his homeland to the retreating form of the Uchiha and back Suigetsu grabbed at his hair and groaned. "Do I return him now and, maybe, be hailed a hero… Or do I follow you, Sasuke Uchiha, and be called a hero when I return... Shit, Hey Sasuke, you got any spare pants I can borrow?!"

XX Hokage's Tower, Konoha; Fire Country XX

It was times like this that Danzo Shimura was grateful for the right eye of Shisui Uchiha and the hypnotic Kotoamatsukami it granted. Tsunade was far from happy with his actions and, considering her limited self-control, would surely have physically attacked him where it not for his gentle 'suggestions' she calm down.

His operative's report was far more worrying than the Hokage seemed to realise. Itachi's younger brother had attacked with a chakra construct and seemed to have killed one of Orochimaru's own servants with black flames… That meant the boy had clearly awakened the mangekyo, gaining the power of Amaterasu, and possibly advanced far enough in its development to call upon the Guardian Spirit Susanoo.

Danzo most likely knew more about the workings of the sharingan than any living man, barring Orochimaru. He knew it first awoke due to traumatic experiences and could only ascend to its full form, the semi-legendary mangekyo through extreme loss. More than that, he also knew that the pain and suffering said loss inflicted on the Uchiha slowly drove him or her insane.

'_The boy didn't gain the mangekyo when his clan was killed…" _Danzo mused to himself as Tsunade continued to rant at him and his fellow Elders._ "… But who knows what Itachi did to the boy's mind during those mental torture sessions. Could he have found a way to prevent the mangekyo from awakening then?"_

"Lady Tsunade, according to Jiraiya's Intel Orochimaru will be attempting the switch soon… Action had to be taken!" Koharu Utatane protested in justification of Danzo's actions, quoting the old saying about 'permission and forgiveness'.

"The boy is unstable, going on 'Sai's' report." Danzo said simply, breaking his silence.

"How so?" Homura Mitokado asked.

"Sai reported that there was a corpse, all but consumed by black flames, in the Uchiha's quarters… Add to that the ghostly bones he used for offense and defence and it is clear that Sasuke Uchiha has awakened the mangekyo." Danzo explained. "History shows that those with the mangekyo are driven insane and if he is lashing out, killing Orochimaru's shinobi with those eyes it is clear that insanity is taking hold."

"Orochimaru has little concern for his servants, perhaps the corpse was a victim Orochimaru himself sent for the Uchiha to test his abilities on." Koharu offered by way of explanation.

"… That does sound like something he'd do alright." Tsunade admitted, silently wondering what had happened to the odd but honourable shinobi she'd trained beside all those years ago.

"No." Danzo said sharply. "If the target of the Amaterasu was killed under sanction by Orochimaru the corpse would not have been in the Uchiha's quarters, hidden away from witnesses… It is a sign the boy is losing his grip, another reason he needs to be dealt with."

"But if we 'deal with him', Itachi will reveal everything." Homura pointed out, reminded all of the reason Sasuke hadn't been quietly killed off long ago.

"What if we place him in the Bingo Book, 'Priority Capture'?" Koharu suggested. "Add on a sufficient bounty, with the requirement he be taken and delivered alive, to draw in the Hunters and we could have Sasuke Uchiha back under heel soon enough."

"Itachi couldn't complain either, since we are demanding his brother be brought back alive." Homura said in agreement.

"It could work well." Danzo acknowledged. "Have the boy returned and placed under house arrest for a time, long enough to tag him with enough Curse Seals to ensure compliance… Then send him out with a squad or three to kill Itachi. Once the Elder Uchiha is dead we ensure Sasuke 'dies from injuries' on the way back and many of our problems disappear… We'd simply need her Lordship, the Hokage's, permission."

"… it could work… But I doubt Naruto would be too happy if we killed off the Uchiha like that." Tsunade said.

"Dammit 'Princess'!" Koharu snapped, slamming her fist down on the arm rest of her chair. "The jinchuuriki is a genin, what she thinks is immaterial! This bending to a child's will must stop!"

"She is right, Tsunade." Danzo said. "We must focus on what is best for Konoha, we must act to achieve the best possible outcome for the Village… And if that means disappointing a teenager… Well, sacrifices must be made."

"… Huh… Alright we'll add him to the Bingo Book, quietly." Tsunade agreed. "But this 'dies from injuries' idea is a last option in case he cannot, or will not, reintegrate into the Village. Understand?"

"Understood." Danzo, Koharu and Homura replied… Although only Homura actually meant it.

XX 'The Great Naruto' Bridge; Wave Country – 2 Days Later XX

"The Great Naruto Bridge… Whoa what a weird name." Suigetsu snorted as he and Sasuke approached the Fire Country side of the bridge.

"Do you want to visit Momochi's grave first, or would you rather we go straight for the sword?" Sasuke asked as he scanned the horizon for any potential signs of trouble.

"They aren't at the same place?" Suigetsu questioned as he finished off the contents of his canteen.

"No, the sword was pilfered by a crime boss and aid of your daimyo – a Tenzen Daioku." Sasuke explained. "He lost a lot of men to Zabuza during the Missing-Nin's failed rebellion… Seems he came here looking for revenge but found only a grave."

"So he took the blade as a consolation prize?" Suigetsu snorted.

"He's also claiming he's the one who killed Zabuza Momochi, 'The Demon of the Bloody Mist'." Sasuke added as the pair crossed the bridge and entered Wave Country proper.

"I didn't really care of Old Man Momochi. Respected his skill with a blade sure, but I never really liked the guy." Suigetsu yawned as they entered the main town. "So let's kill this Daioku guy and get MY sword."

"Killing him wouldn't be wise." Sasuke growled. "A high body count will attract attention from Orochimaru and Akatsuki… Until we're at full power I'd rather avoid their radars when possible."

"Then maybe you should replace that ripped and bloody shirt." Suigetsu suggested as he looked Sasuke up and down. "And wearing something without that giant 'I am an Uchiha' emblem on the back might be a good idea as well!"

"Why don't you watch were you're walking, idiot!" Zori, ronin from the Land of Iron and former bodyguard to Gato, growled menacingly when he bumped into Suigetsu.

"Head south out of town… Wait for me at the crossroads." Sasuke instructed as he prevented Suigetsu from attacking Zori. "I'll meet you there once I've… Dealt with my conspicuous clothing issues."

"Hehehe… Just remember 'A high body count will attract attention'." Suigetsu chuckled darkly before turning and heading off.

Following Zori further into town Sasuke waited until the thug turned down a side alley before striking. A simple burst of speed, no chakra just pure speed, allowed him to appear beside the ronin and deliver a brutal elbow strike to Zori's temple. That, plus the follow-up blow of head and wall, ensured Zori wouldn't be up any time soon.

Stripping the mult-pocketed jacket from Zori's unconscious body Sasuke put it on and then took a moment to ensure both his body wrap and belt were comfortably adjusted before turning to leave. Stopping at the sight of his own reflection in a window, Sasuke turned back and took Zori's hat as well – covering his somewhat distinctive hair would be a good idea in an area so close to Fire Country where he'd been before and might be remembered.

"You look like you're going on an expedition to the South in that get-up." Suigetsu said by way of greeting when he saw Sasuke approaching.

"hn." Sasuke grunted before taking a turn and leading Suigetsu towards Tenzen Daioku's fort. As they made their way along the forest road Sasuke decided to do something he won't normally do and attempt to strike up a conversation. "Have you ever been South, around Snow Country or that?"

"Nah, too cold. I'd hate to go and end up a popsicle." Suigetsu snorted. "You?"

"Yeah, once." Sasuke replied. "My team was the team that helped install Koyuki Kazahana as daimyo and activate that giant heating system that's gotten the country renamed Spring Country."

"Anyone ever tell you you've got a bit of a 'been there, shaped history' thing going on?" Suigetsu joked as Daioku's fort came into view ahead.. "I mean first there was Zabuza and now you tell me you helped install Kazahana into office… Huh, regular history maker right here folks."

"Remember, avoid a high body count if possible. Kill only if you have no other options." Sasuke warned as they approached the gates. It shouldn't be as much of an issue this time, he hadn't warned Tenzen this time since he already knew exactly how good Suigetsu was.

"Yeah yeah." Suigetsu yawned before grinning bloodthirstily. "… But you know I am a little rusty, what with being cooped up in that tank for so long. Might have to kill a few, to survive and all."

"Look at it this way, everyone you take down in a nonlethal manner is an example of skill." Sasuke advised, playing on the Kiri Nin's pride. "I'm sure brigands and bandits shouldn't test you that much."

"I know you're playing me… But I'm gonna play it your way." Suigetsu said with a shrug before Body Flickering away. It took maybe a minute before the cries and screams of dismay began.

Tucking his hands into the pockets of his new coat Sasuke leapt unto the exterior wall and began to casually stroll around the inner courtyard, watching Suigetsu effortlessly dismantle the dozen or so guards.

Leaping to the main building and scaling the wall Sasuke entered the upper floor he was pretty sure Tenzen would be hiding on.

"… The hell?" Sasuke grunted as he found himself staring at Tenzen, a guard welding the Kubikiribocho greatsword and a purpled haired kunoichi from Konoha judging by the symbol.

"Well this saves me the hassle of going out there to find you." The kunoichi said with a cold smile as she turned and drew a kunai.

"Dammit." Sasuke hissed as he reached back for the hilt of his chokuto. "Why can't things just go to plan?"

_**XXXXX**_

_**I'm dyslexic, so please point out any mistakes in spelling or grammar [I spell things the way they do in England and Ireland, so some things may look off to Americans]. Please leave your opinion via review or send them via PM, I'd like to know what you think. Well, I think that's everything I've gotta say so, hope you enjoyed the chapter.**_

_**This is Highvalour saying bye and thanks for reading**__**.**_


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